STROUDSBURG – It was a dominant day for the No. 15 East Stroudsburg University softball team, as the Warriors did not allow a run in a pair of run-rule-shortened games by scores of 8-0, 9-0 against Felician on Friday afternoon at Creekview Park's Vigon International Field.
The Warriors (14-4) extend their winning streak to 11, earning wins in all 10 games of their home stand. The Golden Falcons (3-9) have dropped back-to-back series after falling to Shippensburg in a pair of games on Thursday.
ESU's 11-game winning streak is tied for the third longest in program history with 1976 also posting an 11-game streak. ESU posted a 12-game winning streak last season, with the program record 17-game winning streak coming in 2022.
Hitting Notables
- A total of nine Warriors recorded RBIs, with Shannon Edelman (3-5, 2B) and Abigail Weirich (2-4, 2 runs) leading the Warriors with three each.
- Taylor Lipkins batted .714 on the day, going 5-7 from the leadoff spot with four singles and a double. She scored three runs.
- Katie Master went 3-4 with a team-best four runs scored and connected on a triple. She also swiped two bags.
- Delaney Ridgell and Maddy Pritchard both smacked two hits each. Pritchard connected on a solo home run in game one. Ridgell saw her 11-game hitting streak snapped in game one, but got back on track with two singles in game two.
- Samantha Derrickson, Denva-Shaw-Tait and Kate Donaghue all produced a run.
- The Warriors outscored the opposition 54-10 in the 10 games at Creekview Park, compiling a .339 batting average with 84 hits, 12 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 50 RBIs. The Warriors committed just five errors in the 10 games in the field and successfully swiped 83.8 percent of its stolen-base attempts.
Pitching Notables
- Paige Zigmund (W, 8-1) picked up a win in her sixth straight start, keeping the Golden Falcons off the scoreboard in six innings in the circle. She fanned eight batters, without issuing a walk. She scattered four singles, without giving up an extra-base hit.
- Abbie Landrum served as the opener in game two, allowing just one hit in two innings of work. She struck out one and allowed just one walk.
- Sarah Davenport (W, 6-2) did not allow a hit in three innings to pick up her sixth win. She struck out six of the nine batters she faced. She did not allow a base runner, retiring the side in order in all three frames.
- During the 10-game home stand, the Warrior trio of pitchers combined for 94 strikeouts with just 11 walks in 66 innings, holding foes to a .154 batting average. They conceded just 10 runs for a 1.06 ERA combined ERA against Holy Family, St. Thomas Aquinas, Molloy, Georgian Court and Felician.
How It Happened – Game 1
- ESU struck first in the bottom of the first. With runners on the corners after a double steal, an error by the pitcher allowed the first run to score, with Reilly Vicendese crossing the plate with two outs.
- In the bottom of the 2nd, Pritchard smacked a solo home run to make it a 3-0 contest.
- The Warriors took control in the bottom of the 4th, after a leadoff single and two base hits with one out to load the bases the Warriors, the Golden Falcons were forced to switch pitchers after an injury. After an infield flyout for the second out, ESU scored runs via two walks and a hit-by-pitch. The Warriors led 6-0 after four innings.
- In the bottom of the 5th, Taylor Lipkins drove in a run with an infield single, increasing the ESU lead to 7-0 with two outs.
- The Warriors ended the game by reaching the run rule in the bottom of the 6th. With the bases loaded and two outs, Kate Donaghue connected on an RBI single to end the game at 8-0.
How It Happened – Game two
- ESU recorded three runs in each of its first three turns at the plate to build a 9-0 advantage.
- Lipkins led the frame off with a double and scored on an error, with Weirich tallying an RBI. Weirich crossed the plate on an RBI double by Edelman. A ground out led by Shaw-Tait allowed a run to score for the third run of the opening inning.
- A leadoff double by Felician's Layla Albarran put a runner in scoring position early. After Albarran advanced to third on a wild pitch, Landrum settled down and forced two ground outs and a strikeout to keep the shutout intact.
- The Warriors scored all three of its runs in the second inning with two outs. Weirich walked with the bases loaded to score Master for the Warriors' fourth run. A wild pitch allowed Lipkins to score. Edelman got a hold of an RBI single to plate Weirich to account for the three runs.
- After Felician went down in order in the third, Shaw-Tait started the third frame with a double. Pinch-runner Maddin Grow would score on a single from Derrickson. Master followed with an RBI triple to score another pinch-runner in Kasey Ulmer. A throwing error by the shortstop allowed ESU to score its ninth and final run of the game.
- Davenport struck out the final four batters she faced, finishing the game with six strikeouts in three innings to pick up her fifth win of her career.
Up Next
- ESU hits the road for the first time in a month on Tuesday, March 12 when the Warriors head to fellow 2023 NCAA Softball Championship qualifier Wilmington. First pitches against the Wildcats are set for 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
