Box Score 1 | Box Score 2



Kutztown 9, Mercyhurst 1 (5 inn.) (HTML Box Score)
 
King University 5, Kutztown 2 (HTML Box Score)
 
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Early innings helped the 23rd-ranked Kutztown University softball team in its opener, but plagued it in the nightcap as Kutztown split its pair of games on Friday on the first day of the Pioneer Classic, hosted by Tusculum College.
 
Kutztown defeated Mercyhurst 9-1 in five innings in the opener, but fell to King University under the lights, 5-2 to close out the first day of action.
 
The Golden Bears (2-4) opened the day with nine runs in a five-inning victory over Mercyhurst (0-6). Kutztown scored seven runs in the first two innings and did not allow a run until the fifth inning.
 
Sophomore Danielle Sienko (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter) went 3-for-3 at the plate including a two-run single in the first inning. She was one of three Golden Bears with multi-hit games along with Morgan Booth (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) and Marka Ballard (Redwood City, CA/Mercy Burlingame).
 
In the first inning, Kutztown walked in a run, scored another on a groundout, and plated two more on a two-out single from Sienko. It scored three runs in the second inning, one on a passed ball and two on a RBI from Colleen Smith (Islip Terrace, NY/East Islip (Hofstra)) combined with a fielding error on Mercyhurst.
 
Following a Laker run in the top of the fifth, Kutztown answered and ended the game on consecutive at-bats in the bottom-half of the inning. With one out and runners on first and second, Booth hit an RBI single up the middle to score Ashley Lechner (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) from second base. A wild pitch plated Marissa Linquist (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) from third to end the game.
 
Junior pitcher Dominique Ficara (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional (Hofstra)) did not allow an earned run in her complete game victory. She allowed three hits with two strikeouts in her second victory of the season.
 
Mercyhurst starter Annie Truelove suffered the setback in the circle, as all nine runs were earned in her 4.1 innings of work. She allowed eight hits.
 
In the second game against King (3-7), Kutztown started in the field and let up a pair of RBI singles, one with two outs, to find itself in an early hole. In the bottom half of the inning, Kutztown benefitted from an infield error with two outs that led to an RBI double from Smith to score Jackie Hetzler (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) from first base.
 
Following a leadoff double to start the second inning from King, Mary Kociencki (Columbia, N.J./Sparta ) relieved Ficara and took over in the circle for the remaining six innings. King scored runs in the next two innings and led 5-2 after three.
 
Kutztown was limited to six hits, two of which came from Linquist. King pitcher Hannah Light stuck out 14 batters in her complete game victory. She also allowed just one walk compared to Kutztown's six.
 
The Golden Bears are slated for two games on Saturday, Feb. 22. They will take on Tusculum at 10 a.m. and Virginia's College at Wise at 12 p.m. The tournament will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 23, when KU takes on Mercyhurst for a second time at 9 a.m.