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West Chester 5, Kutztown 2 (HTML Box Score)
 
Kutztown 4, West Chester 3 (10 inn.) (HTML Box Score)
 
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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Freshman Marissa Linquist (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning of Thursday's second game to lift the Kutztown University softball team to a 4-3 victory over West Chester University in the finale of Kutztown's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division- and home-opener at North Campus Field. KU dropped the first game, 5-2.
 
The Golden Bears (7-12, 1-1 PSAC East) battled through 17 innings on Thursday through brutally tough and cold conditions on the KU campus. They persevered with some late heroics from numerous individuals in the nightcap of the doubleheader against the Golden Rams (13-10, 2-2), in a series that had these two teams play seven times last season.
 
Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth with two outs and two runners on base, sophomore Danielle Sienko (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter) stepped up when her team needed her most. She cleared the bases with a two-run double to left-center field to score Savannah Nierintz (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby) and Colleen Smith (Islip Terrace, NY/East Islip (Hofstra)) and tie the game.
 
Despite leaving runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings, Kutztown was not put into a stressful situation due to the performance of Nierintz in the circle. Through the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, she allowed just one hit. In her 10 complete innings, she allowed six hits and one earned run with five strikeouts.
 
The 10th inning brought the international tiebreaker into effect, where both teams would start with a runner on second base. West Chester used the opportunity with consecutive sacrifices to take a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the 10th.
 
Nierintz sacrificed Lisa Lawson (Morgantown, Pa./Twin Valley) over to third to open the bottom frame. Two straight walks loaded the bases to put the game-winning run at second base. Junior Mary Kociencki (Columbia, N.J./Sparta ) came in to pinch hit and reached base on a catcher's interference call when her bat hit the catcher's glove during her swing. It moved each of the runners up a base to tie the game at 3-3 with one out. The following at-bat, Linquist drove a single to center field to score Smith from third and win the game for the Golden Bears.
 
Backtracking to game one, Kutztown filled the other shoes by losing a lead late in the game. It led 2-0 in the second inning with a home run by Smith and a RBI single by Rachel Lawes (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin).
 
West Chester responded two innings later with a solo shot in the fourth inning, but struck for four runs in the fifth to open its lead to 5-2. Three KU errors in the inning proved to be costly. With two runners on, a sacrifice bunt was dropped down and KU attempted to throw out the lead runner at third base. The throw went wide to load the bases with no outs. On a ground ball to second base, the throw came home and beat the runner, but the catcher's foot was not on home plate that gave West Chester a 3-2 lead. A bases loaded walk and a fielding error on the shortstop plated the final two runs of the game for West Chester in a 5-2 win.
 
Dominique Ficara (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional (Hofstra)) was tabbed with the loss as she allowed three runs, two earned, on just three hits over four innings. She struck out five batters while walking one. West Chester's Katie Erb closed the game with 5.1 scoreless innings to pick up the win.
 
The Golden Bears continue their eight-game home-stand with the final six games slated to be played over the next five days. KU hosts Millersville University on Friday, March 28 at North Campus Field beginning at 2:30 p.m. The teams split four games last season.