STROUDSBURG – Highlighted by strong pitching performances and timely hitting, the East Stroudsburg University softball team picked up a pair of dominant wins over Chestnut Hill on Thursday afternoon at Creekview Park.
The Warriors (11-7, 1-1 PSAC East) took game one, 7-1, and followed up to complete the sweep with a 9-1 run-rule game that ended early. The Griffins (0-16) remain winless with the losses.
Notables
- Brooke McKeown led the Warriors with four hits, scored five runs and stole five bases (5-5 SB). She recorded a pair of RBIs. Molly Nies totaled three singles and three RBIs, including two on a single to end the second game early. Abigail Weirich totaled two RBIs, while Reilly Vicendese and Denva Shaw-Tait contributed an RBI and two hits.
- Katherine Donaghue added a double and two singles in game one, driving in a run. Marina Burkovicova added her first collegiate hit on a triple, which resulted in a pair of Warrior runs. Maddy Pritchard tallied her first collegiate hit and RBI in game two, along with pitching the final two innings of the second game.
- The Warriors pitching staff held Chestnut Hill to a .152 average, with just seven combined hits, which included just two extra-base hits. Paige Zigmund (W, 5-2) picked up the first game victory after allowing just two hits in four innings, while strikeout five. Ariadna Cerda Bermejo picked up the save in game one after three innings of efficient work in the opening contest. Leigh Ann Jenkins (W, 2-1) picked up the game two victory by allowing just one hit in four innings to begin game two.
- ESU outhit CHC by a 20-7 mark and outscored CHC, 16-2, with both runs coming unearned for ESU.
How It Happened – ESU 7, Chestnut Hill 1
- After a pair of strikeouts to start the contest, the Griffins rallied for back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second. That's all Zigmund allowed in the frame, recording her third strikeout to close the first-half inning.
- ESU started strong in its first at bats. A single by McKeown, followed by stolen base and a flyout, allowed the sophomore to advance to third. Vicendese sent a triple to score McKeown and later scored herself on a sacrifice fly by Jada Smallwood. The Warriors took a 2-0 lead after the first inning.
- Zigmund got the first two batters to ground out to herself and set down her fourth Griffin to close the top of the 2nd. ESU tacked on its third run of the game with a double down the left field line off the bat of Donaghue, with Shaw-Tait scoring on the play. After a flyout advanced Donaghue to third, she scored off a single from McKeown. McKeown nabbed her second base and scored easily on a single from Nies with two outs for the third and final run of the second. ESU took a 5-0 lead into the third inning.
- After a scoreless third inning, ESU padded its advantage after starting the fourth inning by reaching base on an error and a single to left field by Donaghue. With two outs in the frame, Marina Burkocivoca blasted her first collegiate hit, a double, two score a pair of unearned runs to extend the Warrior lead to 7-0.
- Cerda-Bermejo took over pitching duties in the fifth frame. Chestnut Hill would tally its first run of the contest in the frame, scoring an unearned run off a throwing error by the pitcher to slice the deficit to six at 7-1.
- That wrapped up the scoring in the contest, as ESU recorded a single in the bottom of the sixth, while the Griffins could only put a single base runner on via a throwing error. Bermejo got the final batter out via a foul-out to Vicendese to pick up the three-inning save.
How It Happened – ESU 9, Chestnut Hill 1
- Chestnut Hill made noise early with a two-out triple, but Jenkins would get the third out to prevent the run with a groundout.
- After an easy top of the inning, the Warriors put up its first run of game two in the bottom of the 2nd. A double from Smallwood would turn into a run after a groundout and a sacrifice fly from Shaw-Tait to grab a 1-0 lead.
- Jenkins continued her impressive outing by retiring the side in the third. The Warriors took advantage of a leadoff single by McKeown and a walk from Smallwood, with Weirich blasting a two-out triple to grab a 3-0 advantage through three frames.
- A sacrifice fly from Pritchard and a timely RBI single from McKeown extended the Warrior lead to 5-0. ESU added a pair of runs via a single from Nies that was misplayed in left field. McKeown and Nies both scored on the play to give the Warriors a 7-0 edge.
- Pritchard moved from designated player to pitcher to start the fifth inning. After issuing a walk, she forced a double play and got the final batter out via a strikeout.
- Up 7-0, ESU was held off the scoreboard in the bottom of the 5th. Chesnut Hill took advantage of a throwing error in the top of 6th, scoring its first run of the contest.
- With runners on second and third after a hit-by-pitch, a walk and a wild pitch, the Warriors ended the contest early with a two-RBI single from Molly Nies, making it a 9-1 contest to reach the run-rule threshold.
Up next
- The Warriors close the non-conference slate against Dominican (N.Y.) on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. at Creekview Park's Vigon International Field.
