Box Score Kutztown 3, West Virginia State 1 (10 innings) (HTML Box Score)
Video of Sienko's Game-Winning Hit
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The heroics continue to come for the Kutztown University softball team as freshman second baseman
Danielle Sienko (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter) knocked in the game-winning run in the 10th inning in a 3-1 victory over West Virginia State University on Friday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament hosted by Shippensburg University.
With the win, the Golden Bears (30-21) advance to the second round of the double elimination tournament to take on Bloomsburg University (31-17) at 11 a.m. Live stats and audio will be available for the game.
Kutztown played in and won its fourth consecutive extra-inning game and second straight 10-inning affair. Tied at 1-1 entering the 10th, senior shortstop
Brianna Knipe (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) led off the inning with a single to right field. Freshman
Jessica Kurtz (Pottstown, PA/Pottsgrove) moved Knipe over to second as Sienko followed with a single up the middle on an 0-2 count to score Knipe.
On the play, Sienko remained active on the base paths as she advanced to second on the throw home and advanced third on a throwing error by the West Virginia State center fielder. Junior
Jackie Hetzler (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) gave Kutztown an insurance run with a single to right field the next at-bat to score Sienko.
The Golden Bears showed their poise and earned the come-from-behind victory for the third straight game. In four of their five postseason games this season, they have taken the lead and won in their final team at-bat of the game.
Sienko was 3-for-4 at the plate and notched her third three-hit game of the season.
Morgan Booth (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) and Knipe also had multi-hit games for the Golden Bears.
On the mound, sophomore
Mary Kociencki (Columbia, N.J./Sparta ) picked up the win and pitched a season-high 7.2 innings in relief. She allowed five hits with two strikeouts and no walks as she has pitched more than seven innings in each of the last two games.
Kociencki entered the game in the third inning after the Yellow Jackets (41-13) took a 1-0 lead with a single up the middle. Kociencki forced West Virginia State to hit two ground balls the next two at-bats to get Kutztown out of the jam.
Anna Eggleston pitched all 10 innings for West Virginia State and struck out eight batters.
Kutztown last faced Bloomsburg in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament, when it rallied with two outs in the seventh inning to tie the game and eventually go on to win in eight innings.
