PTSNEW CASTLE, Del. – In a battle of national ranked teams that reached the NCAA Softball Championships a season ago, No. 14 East Stroudsburg University softball team pitcher softball team celebrated major milestones as pitcher
Paige Zigmund became the program's all-time wins leader in game one and third baseman
Reilly Vicendese smacked her program-record 201st career hit in game two in a road doubleheader sweep of No. 23 Wilmington by scores of 5-2 and 3-0 on Tuesday afternoon at Asbury Field.
The Warriors extended their winning streak to 13 with the wins. The Wildcats fell to 7-10 on the season after sweeping No. 18 Saint Leo last Friday.
ESU's 13-game-winning streak currently stands as the third longest in NCAA DII, with only MSU Denver (19) and Pittsburg St. (15) holding longer streaks.
Pitching Notables
- Paige Zigmund (W, 9-1) picked up her 45th career win in game one's complete game victory, surpassing Kristen Halvorsen's (44-54) record set in 2008. The Bethlehem native now has a career record of 45-9 in 60 career starts and 68 total appearances as a Warrior. After transferring from Lock Haven after her freshman season, Zigmund has totaled records of 10-2, 26-6 and now holds a 9-1 record during her senior season.
- Zigmund did not allow an earned run on the day, with two unearned runs crossing the plate in the second and fifth innings. She conceded five hits and did not issue a walk in the record-setting win. She lowered her ERA to 1.53 and her WHIP to .81.
- Sarah Davenport (W, 7-2) and Abbie Landrum combined for a shutout in game two, with Davenport pitching the final six innings against the Wildcats. Davenport allowed four hits and tossed seven strikeouts. She gave up one walk. The Garden State native lowered her season ERA to 1.60 and her WHIP to 1.08.
- Abbie Landrum allowed two hits in one-plus inning in the circle to start game two.
- The trio of Warriors combined to not allow an earned run, allowing 11 hits in 14 innings while firing 13 strikeouts and just one extra-base hit and one walk. WU was held to a .216 batting average.
Hitting Notables
- Vicendese shattered Jen Veronesi's career hit record with a single in the top of the 3rd in game two, for the 201st career hit for the native of Ellicott City, Md. Jen Veronesi connected on her 200th and final hit of her career during the 2007 season. She holds a career batting average of .347 with just 16 strikeouts in 172 starts during her Warrior career. The third baseman previously broke ESU's career runs record against Molloy on March 3rd.
- Abigail Weirich led the day offensively, going 3-7 with two RBIs. She went a perfect 4-4 on stolen bases. She leads ESU with 13 RBIs.
- Shannon Edelman went 2-5 from the plate with an RBI, while Delaney Ridgell also produced a run, going 2-6 on the day.
- Vicendese registered her 200th career hit in game one with a double and her record-breaking 201st career hit in game two with a single.
- Taylor Lipkins also tallied multiple hits with a pair of singles, extending her hitting streak to six and her reached-base streak to seven.
- The Warriors swiped 11 stolen bases on 11 attempts.
How It Happened – Game 1
- The Wildcats struck first in game one, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. After an error allowed a runner to reach base, Taylor Gillis advanced to third on a passed ball. She crossed the plate on a ground out to lift WU to a lead.
- The game remained scoreless until the top of the 5th, with the Warriors exploding for five runs on four hits and two Wildcat errors. With one out, singles from Katie Master and Lipkins, followed by a double steal put a pair of runners in scoring position.
- A fielder's choice allowed two runs to score in the frame, with an error on the catcher allowing the second run to score. Weirich singled to put Vicendese on third base, with a double steal following, as ESU took a 3-1 advantage. After a strikeout, Ridgell smacked an RBI single and later scored after stealing third and scoring on the play after an errant throw by the catcher.
- In the bottom of the 5th, WU used a double steal, with the Warriors taking the out at first base on the play, with the Wildcats cutting the lead to 5-2.
- Zigmund allowed a double in the bottom of the 6th and a single in the bottom of the 7th, but reigning PSAC East Pitcher of the Week avoided allowing an earned run the entire game in her record-breaking 45th win of her career.
How It Happened – Game 2
- Landrum did not allow a hit in her first inning, with a runner reaching first on an error. She got out of the frame unscathed.
- In the bottom of the 2nd, a pair of Wildcat singles to lead the frame off ended Landrum's day in the circle, with Davenport entering in relief. She walked the first batter she faced to load the bases, but forced a popout, fired a strikeout, followed by a fielder's choice to keep the game scoreless.
- The Warriors plated all three runs of the game in the top of the 3rd with two outs. Lipkins started the two-out rally with a single, with Vicendese following with her record-breaking base knock. Weirich sent two runs home with a single up the middle, lifting the Warriors to a 2-0 edge. The Maryland native stole second and then third, crossing home plate off a single from Edleman to wrap up the scoring.
- Davenport scattered hits in the third, fifth and seventh innings, but kept the shutout intact, picking up a win in her sixth consecutive appearance.
NFCA Poll
- The NFCA announced on Tuesday afternoon that ESU moved up a spot to No. 14 in the latest national poll, earning 191 points. The Warriors remain the only nationally ranked team in the NCAA DII Atlantic Region and the PSAC. See below for the full NFCA Poll.
Up Next
- The Warriors (16-4) close its non-conference slate on Saturday with a doubleheader against Southern New Hampshire (6-6) at Creekview Park's Vigon International Field. Game times against the Penmen are scheduled for Noon and 2:00 p.m. in Stroudsburg.
NFCA DII Top 25 Coaches Poll - March 12
| RK |
TEAM |
PTS |
REC |
PREV |
| 1 |
North Georgia (16) |
400 |
23-2 |
1 |
| 2 |
West Texas A&M |
382 |
22-2 |
2 |
| 3 |
Rogers State |
365 |
18-4 |
3 |
| 4 |
Tampa |
355 |
18-4 |
4 |
| 5 |
UT Tyler |
329 |
19-5 |
6 |
| 6 |
Grand Valley State |
326 |
16-5 |
5 |
| 7 |
Indianapolis |
303 |
15-2 |
8 |
| 8 |
Mississippi College |
259 |
17-4 |
10 |
| 9 |
Cal State San Marcos |
258 |
12-7 |
7 |
| 10 |
Colorado Christian |
257 |
21-4 |
9 |
| 11 |
Central Oklahoma |
244 |
16-6 |
12 |
| 12 |
Wingate |
235 |
23-6 |
11 |
| 13 |
Pittsburg State |
194 |
24-2 |
16 |
| 14 |
East Stroudsburg |
191 |
14-4 |
15 |
| 15 |
Western Washington |
188 |
15-2 |
14 |
| 16 |
Charleston |
147 |
12-1 |
17 |
| 17 |
Auburn-Montgomery |
130 |
18-5 |
NV |
| 18 |
Northwest Nazarene |
123 |
14-2 |
21 |
| 19 |
Southern Arkansas |
95 |
16-6 |
22 |
| 20 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
89 |
23-5 |
23 |
| 21 |
West Alabama |
82 |
14-9 |
13 |
| 22 |
Concordia |
62 |
17-4 |
24 |
| 23 |
Wilmington |
51 |
7-8 |
20 |
| 24 |
Angelo State |
41 |
20-8 |
25 |
| 25 |
Rollins |
30 |
19-5 |
NV |
New to Poll: No. 17 Auburn-Montgomery, No. 25 Rollins
Dropped Out: No. 18 Saint Leo, No. 19 Nova Southeastern
Receiving Votes: Washburn (22), Nova Southeastern (16), Kutztown (10), Ohio Dominican (10), Francis Marion (4), Missouri Southern (2).
The 2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee. The committee consists of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA's eight regions. Records reflect games played through March 10.
