Box Score 1 | Box Score 2



Shippensburg 6, Kutztown 2 (HTML Game One Box Score)
 
Shippensburg 10, Kutztown 3 (HTML Game Two Box Score)
 
Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2
 
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – In her final at-bat of a four-year career at North Campus Field, senior catcher Katie Lynch (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) hit her first home run of the season in the final game of a doubleheader against Shippensburg University on Senior Day. Unfortunately for Kutztown, it dropped a pair to Shippensburg (6-2, 10-3) in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup.
 
Despite the setback, Lynch helped the Golden Bears (23-21, 7-7 PSAC East) close out Tuesday's game against the Raiders (27-8, 9-3) on a high note with a solo bomb in the seventh. She was one of four Kutztown seniors to be honored before the games for the final home game of the season. Fellow four-year players Brianna Knipe (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty), Maria Isgro (Galloway, NJ/Absegami), and Nicole Henninger (Reading, PA./Muhlenberg) were also honored in the pregame ceremonies.
 
With one pair of games left on Kutztown's conference slate, it moved one day closer to clinching a spot in the playoffs. Currently in third in the PSAC East with the top three teams in each division moving onto the PSAC tournament next week in Quakertown, Kutztown needs to split its final games of the season at East Stroudsburg on Friday, and needs Millersville to drop one of its final four games to lock up the third spot.
 
It is still possible for Kutztown to make the playoffs if it does not split with ESU, but that will depend on Millersville's play and the results of ESU's final four PSAC games.
 
Senior Day brought out the creativity in everyone at North Campus Field on Tuesday. From scarecrows with the four seniors' faces printed on them, to a gift exchange before the game that reminded head coach Judy Lawes of Christmas morning, to a between-game trivia contest put on by the four seniors' parents, everyone was in a good mood to celebrate the careers of Kutztown's four decorated seniors.
 
In game one, Shippensburg struck first when a line drive went off KU pitcher Dominique Ficara (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional (Hofstra))'s leg and ricocheted into right field to score the runner from second base. Kutztown's Colleen Smith (Islip Terrace, N.Y./East Islip (Hofstra)) belted an RBI double in the bottom half of the first to score Jackie Hetzler (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) from second.
 
From the leadoff spot, Hetzler went a combined 4-for-7 in the doubleheader and worked three walks.
 
Shippensburg hit a looping single over the over the first baseman's head to retake the lead in the second inning (2-1), and then tacked on two more in the third with a two-run single.
 
Isgro cut the deficit to two (4-2) with a single to left field in the fourth. It was all the scoring Kutztown could muster though as a throwing error by the KU catcher put the runner at third which led to an unearned run off a single in the fifth, and Ship closed out the scoring with a run in the seventh.
 
Offensive production was the difference in the two games. In game one, Shippensburg continued to apply pressure with 15 hits in the game as Kutztown tallied three. In game two, the Raiders doubled the number of hits by the Golden Bears, 14-7.
 
In game two, Isgro gave Kutztown a 1-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI double to score Hetzler. However, Shippensburg scored 10 of the next 11 runs to take a 10-2 lead.
 
Taylor Llewellyn had two home runs for the Raiders as part of a 4-for-4 performance, and Tyler Thompson went 4-for-5 at the plate for Shippensburg.
 
The next set of regional rankings come out on Wednesday, April 24 that will ultimately determine the field for the NCAA playoffs. Kutztown returns to action next on Friday, April 26 in its regular season finale at East Stroudsburg beginning at 2:30 p.m.