KUTZTOWN, Pa. (April 3, 2012)—The Kutztown University softball team lengthened it winning streak to 24 after it swept Millersville University in a pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division games at North Campus Field, Tuesday afternoon.

The Golden Bears (32-1 overall, 6-0 PSAC) defeated the Marauders (11-21, 2-4 PSAC) 2-0, and 10-2. Kutztown is having a record-setting season and is currently ranked sixth in the latest release of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 poll.

As a team, the Golden Bears are batting .328, which is ranked 25th in NCAA Division II Statistics. Tuesday was no exception as KU totaled 17 hits on the day against the Marauders.

The first game was undeniably a thriller as Millersville kept its energy high all day.  After clinging to a 1-0 lead for three innings, Kelly Fitzgerald (Upper Darby, PA/Archbishop Prendergast) (Upper Darby, Pa./ Archbishop Prendergast) who leads the team with a .411 batting average gave Kutztown a reason to celebrate. With two outs in the fifth inning, Fitzgerald's smooth swing resulted in a solo home run to extend Kutztown's advantage to 2-0.

“I was excited to help out the team,” Fitzgerald said. “Sam pitched a good game and she wasn't getting the run support so it was good to back her up.”

Fitzgerald is a first year Golden Bear but brings plenty of veteran experience. Her transition to Kutztown continues to be a rewarding one.

“I just wanted to fit in,” Fitzgerald said. “This was already a great team, full of great hitters so I just wanted to be able to contribute when I could.”

Brianna Knipe (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) (Bethlehem, Pa,/ Liberty) put KU up in the second inning after reaching on a single. Knipe scored after a hard hit to left field from Maria Isgro (Galloway, NJ/Absegami), resulting in an error to give KU the 1-0 lead.

The Marauders had the chance to get on the board against the Golden Bears but were unable to capitalize, as it left seven runners on base during the game.  Alicia Hughes recorded the loss for Millersville. She finished with two strikeouts.

Pitcher Samantha Derr (Lititz, PA/Warwick) (Lititz, Pa./ Warwick) improved to 15-0 in the circle and grabbed her eighth shutout. She finished with two strikeouts. Derr is ranked second in earned run average (0.51) and 12th in shutouts in NCAA Division II.

“Everything goes to my defense,” Derr said. “It's so easy to pitch when I know that anywhere the ball goes it's probably an out. Today wasn't my sharpest day but my defense got me out of jams and the offense did their job.”

KU's offense really went to work in the second game, as it racked up ten hits.

Kutztown flew to a 3-0 lead in the first inning after Knipe cleared the bases with a triple to right centerfield. After scoring a run in the second inning off a Millersville error, the Marauders cut KU's lead to 4-2 after Allison Chew hit a two-run homer.

By the fifth inning, KU pushed the lead to 7-2 but it wasn't done yet. In the sixth inning with one out, Kelly Strittmatter (Wyckoff, NJ/Indian Hills) (Wyckoff, NJ/ Indian Hills) reached on a single and Fitzgerald proceeded with a walk. Heather Hannum (Horsham, PA/Hatboro-Horsham)'s (Horsham, PA/ Hatboro-Horsham) single to centerfield drove in Strittmatter. With Fitzgerald on second and Hannum on first, Katie Lynch (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) (Willow Street, PA/ Lampeter-Strasburg) singled to centerfield to collect an RBI and extend the lead to 9-2. Knipe followed the pattern and used a single to centerfield to score Hannum. Knipe finished with four RBI's.

Strittmatter, Hannum, and Knipe each recorded two hits in the second game. Hannum and Strittmatter combined for five runs.

Pitcher Tori Marcavage (Collegeville, PA/Perkiomen Valley) (Collegeville, PA/ Perkiomen Valley) recorded her fifth win of the season and struck out two. Marcavage allowed only two hits.

Sarah Bertoni recorded the loss for the Marauders.

“It's pretty incredible to be on the winning streak,” Fitzgerald said. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if it's real or not. But we still have a lot to improve on and there is a lot of ball to play, so we'll just take it one day at a time.

Kutztown will travel to East Stroudsburg University on Friday, April 6 for a PSAC East doubleheader beginning at 2:30 p.m.