QUAKERTOWN, Pa. – East Stroudsburg University walked off Indiana (Pa.) 1-0 in dramatic fashion Wednesday afternoon at Veterans Park to open the PSAC Championship.

The Warriors (43-9-1) advance to Day 2 and will face Shepherd, while IUP (25-19) drops into the elimination bracket and will play at 12:30 p.m. Thursday against California (Pa.).
 
Notables
Abigail Weirich lived up to her PSAC East Athlete of the Year selection by delivering a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh inning to end the scoreless drought between the two teams.

Sophomore ace Sarah Davenport continued her record-breaking season with a masterful performance, tossing a complete-game, three-hit shutout while striking out 16 batters on 127 pitches. The outing pushed her single-season strikeout total to 337, surpassing her own program record of 322 set just last season.

Tatum Kresley and Tulana Mingin also played key roles in the win, each recording two hits. Kresley scored the winning run after back-to-back singles from her and Mingin set the stage for Weirich's game-winning shot to center field.
 
How it Happened 
ESU's Sarah Davenport and IUP's Kendall Young kept the game locked at 0-0 for most of the game but both offenses threatened in the seventh. The Crimson Hawks threatened first, putting a runner in scoring position with no outs, but Davenport responded with two strikeouts and a walk before ending the frame with a punchout.

In the bottom half, the Warriors wasted no time. Consecutive singles from Kresley and Mingin set up Weirich's heroics, as the senior laced a double to deep center to end the game in dramatic fashion.
 
Up Next
With the win, ESU advances to Day 2 of the PSAC Championship on Thursday, May 1, with a 10 a.m. matchup against Shepherd. 
 

Scouting Shepherd
The Rams are led by their three All-PSAC East selections—third baseman Lauren Moore, utility player/pitcher Madelyn Chambers, and Pitcher of the Year Madelayne Ruffner.

Moore leads the conference in batting average (.425), ranks eighth in slugging percentage (.673), sixth in OPS (1.137), fifth in hits (65) and third in doubles (17).

On the mound, Ruffner paces the PSAC with a 0.79 ERA, is second in strikeouts (276), and sixth in innings pitched (142.1).

Chambers adds offensive depth with a .382 batting average and six triples, which ranks sixth in the PSAC.

Shepherd is coached by Marissa Leslie, who has guided the Rams to multiple NCAA postseason appearances and a 24-20-1 record this season. They advanced to face ESU following a 9-0 win over Gannon on Wednesday.

The winner will move on to Day 3 of the tournament on Friday, May 2, with a game at 10 a.m., while the loser will play in an elimination game later Thursday at 3 p.m.