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SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Kutztown University softball team continued its spring break trip by stopping at one of the premier programs in the country Monday afternoon. Kutztown dropped a pair of games to fourth-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State 7-2, and 9-7 in a doubleheader.
 
The Golden Bears (9-4) had their season-high six-game winning streak snapped to the Pirates (22-3-1).
 
Game One
 
Junior infielder Colleen Smith (Islip Terrace, N.Y./East Islip (Hofstra)) belted her team-leading fifth home run of the season in game one. It was her second straight game with a homer and second straight multi-hit game. She went 2-for-3 at the plate in game one with her two-run RBI in the fourth inning to give Kutztown a 2-1 lead.
 
However, the two-run bomb was all the offense the Golden Bears could come up with against Armstrong Atlantic pitcher Megan Barnwell. Kutztown tallied four hits in game one, the second-lowest output of the season.
 
The Pirates responded with five runs in the bottom half of the fourth to take back the lead for good. They used four extra-base hits including a home run by Alexis Mercer to grow its lead to 6-2. Armstrong Atlantic closed out the scoring with its second home run of the game off a solo shot from Haley Ellis in the fifth inning.
 
Dominique Ficara (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional (Hofstra)) picked up the loss for the Golden Bears. She pitched six innings as her season record moved to 4-2.
 
Barnell finished with eight strikeouts for the Pirates. She pitched five innings and allowed three hits. Rachel Reynolds relieved Barnell and allowed one hit over the final two innings.
 
Game Two
 
Armstrong Atlantic jumped out to an early lead again with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. Kutztown tied the game at 2-2 in the third. Maria Isgro (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) hit an RBI single to put Kutztown on the board, scoring Rachel Lawes (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) who led off the inning with a single. Morgan Booth (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg), this week's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Player of the Week, used her speed to score on a wild pitch later that inning to tie the game.
 
A two-out single by the Pirates in the third, combined with a throwing error by Kutztown pitcher Mary Kociencki (Columbia, N.J./Sparta ), plated two runs to give them a 4-2 lead over the Golden Bears.
 
Trailing 5-2 in the sixth, Booth brought the Golden Bears within one with a two-out, two-run double to center field to score Lawes and freshman Lindsey Kelley (Stafford, VA/North Stafford). It was her first double and third extra-base hit of the season.
 
The game didn't stay within one run for long. The Pirates started the sixth with a walk and an RBI double, and stretched the lead to five with a three-run homer by Hannah Reppert.
 
The Golden Bears showed their fight and didn't give up heading into the seventh inning. Isgro led off with a single to left field, advanced to second on a passed ball, and scored on an RBI single by Smith the next at-bat. Senior Nicole Henninger (Reading, PA./Muhlenberg) hit her second home run of the season to score Smith and bring the game to 9-7. It was Henninger's only hit of the game.
 
Kutztown loaded the bases with one out from a hit by pitch, an error, and a walk to bring Booth to the plate. However, Booth struck out swinging and Jackie Hetzler (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) grounded out to end the game.
 
Booth and Isgro each had two hits for Kutztown, who tallied 10 for the game.
 
Armstrong Atlantic tallied 14 hits including three players with three hits apiece. Reppert led the way with five RBI and two runs scored.
 
Kutztown continues its spring break trip and travels to Clermont, Florida for six games over the next three days. It plays Minnesota Duluth at 3 p.m. and Saint Leo at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19.