LIMESTONE/KUTZTOWN BOX SCORE
ALDERSON-BROADDUS/KUTZTOWN BOXSCORE
CLERMONT, Fl. (March 7, 2011) – The Kutztown University softball team continues to roll through its Florida trip like a category five hurricane. The Golden Bears eight-runned a pair of teams to extend their winning streak to seven games and continue their best start to a season since 2002. Kutztown defeated Limestone, 9-0, and Alderson-Broaddus, 11-2 at Hancock Park Monday afternoon.
The streaking Golden Bears, ranked 21st in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches' Association top 25 poll, are off to a 13-2 start, surpassing the 11-2 beginning to the season that the 2002 squad had. Heading into this trip, Kutztown coach Judy Lawes wanted to see her team swing the bats better than it had during the month of February.
Right now, the Golden Bear bats are hot enough to melt plastic, snow, and ice. The offense is having fun bludgeoning opposing pitching staffs to the tune of a .406 batting average. Ten players are hitting .300 or better through the first six games of this trip.
In the two games Monday, the Golden Bears smacked five home runs and tallied 13 of their 20 runs in the fifth inning. While the bats are singing a sweet tune, Kutztown's pitching has been strong through six games on this trip. The Golden Bear pitching staff has a 2.61 earned run average and they have earned shutouts in two of their last three games. The defense has also been solid for the Golden Bears.
The opening game was filled with much tension than the final score indicated. Kutztown nursed an early first-inning 1-0 lead through five innings. With Sam Derr on the mound, allowing four hits and one Limestone runner to reach third base, one run was all she needed. However, the KU offense erupted for eight runs in the fifth inning to bring the game to a close.
Kutztown sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning. The big blast belonged to Nicole Henninger (Reading, PA./Muhlenberg), who ended the game with a Ryan Howard-esque grand slam. Brianna Knipe (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) led the Golden Bears with two hits. Heather Hannum (Horsham, PA/Hatboro-Horsham), Nicole Colineri (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood), and Hetzler also had hits in the first game for KU.
In the second game, Kutztown scored in each of the five innings. The Golden Bears also provided the fans with lots of souveiners as they slugged four home runs. Overall, half of Kutztown's 12 hits went for extra bases.
Maria Isgro (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) had fun throughout the game against Alderson-Broaddus as she went 3-for-3. Isgro started the scoring with a two-out solo home run in the first inning. Colineri had two hits and stole home plate. Krista Tedjeske (Summerhill, PA/Forest Hill) had two hits and drove in four runs. Tedjeske slammed a three-run home run during the Golden Bears' five-run fifth inning that put the game out of reach.
Henninger hit a two-run home run in the third inning. Knipe had a solo home run in the fourth inning. Elizabeth Kangas (Douglassville, PA/Daniel Boone) and Stephanie Graver (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) had doubles for the Golden Bears. The winning pitcher was Monica Glomb (Mars, PA/Mars), who tossed 4.1 innings. Stephanie Pritchard (Parkesburg, PA/Octorara) finished the victory off in style by striking out the final two batters.
Kutztown will now enjoy a day off. Everybody has produced during the first six games of this trip. The Golden Bears return to the field Wednesday morning when they play American International College and 11th-ranked Winona State.
--KU--
