Box Score 1 | Box Score 2



Millersville 1, Kutztown 0 (HTML Game One Box Score)
 
Kutztown 5, Millersville 2 (HTML Game Two Box Score)
 
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Senior Nicole Henninger (Reading, PA./Muhlenberg) broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run home run in the third inning in the second game of a doubleheader to guide the Kutztown University softball team to a 5-2 victory and a split with Millersville University after dropping the first game 1-0 Friday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division action at North Campus Field.
 
The Golden Bears (23-19, 7-5 PSAC East) came back from an early 1-0 deficit as a well laid bunt single by Millersville's Ginely Ortiz-Marrero scored the runner from third in the second inning.
 
Senior shortstop Brianna Knipe (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) led off the bottom half of the second with a single up the middle. Knipe was sacrificed to second by Mary Kociencki (Columbia, N.J./Sparta ), and went on to score from third base on an RBI single by Morgan Booth (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg).
 
Tied in the third inning, Jessica Kurtz (Pottstown, PA/Pottsgrove) led off the inning with a bunt single. Katie Lynch (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) was hit by a pitch, for the team-leading 11th time this season, with two outs which led to Henninger's three-run bomb that put Kutztown ahead 4-1.
 
Millersville's leadoff hitter Jordan Sheffield answered the Kutztown homer with a solo shot in the fourth to cut Kutztown's lead to 4-2. Kutztown's Maria Isgro (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth to close out the scoring.
 
From there, KU pitcher Kociencki kept the Marauders (26-16, 4-8) off the board to seal the split. In seven innings, Kociencki let up eight hits as only one run was earned. She also tabbed four strikeouts.
 
Four Golden Bears had multi-hit games for Kutztown, led by Henninger's 2-for-3, three-RBI game. Booth, Kurtz, and Knipe all had two hits.
 
Friday's second game started with a bit of controversy in the first inning. Millersville had initially taken a 1-0 lead with an RBI single, but after review, it was determined that Millersville had turned in an inaccurate lineup card that resulted in the batter being ruled out for the third out of the inning. The run was also taken off the board for the Marauders.
 
In the opener, it was a pitcher's duel between Kutztown's Dominique Ficara (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional (Hofstra)) and Millersville's Sarah Bertoni. Ficara struck out a season-high eight batters and did not allow an earned run despite being tabbed with the loss. Bertoni allowed four hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
 
The only run of the game was scored by Millersville in the top of the seventh. Following a leadoff single by Bertoni, Brittany Shoemaker laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner, but an errand throw by the Kutztown catcher allowed Shoemaker to reach base and advance Bertoni to third.
 
Ficara got the next two batters out before loading the bases with a hit by pitch. With two outs, Millersville hit an RBI single to right field to score the runner from third. On the play, the KU right fielder threw to first to get force but no one was covering the bag on what would have been a close play.
 
Kutztown's game on Saturday against Edinboro has been postponed as the Golden Bears will return to action on Tuesday, April 23 for senior day at North Campus Field against Shippensburg beginning at 2:30 p.m.