Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Millersville 2, Kutztown 0 (HTML Box Score) Millersville 5, Kutztown 3 (HTML Box Score) Photo Gallery KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University softball team missed a game-tying home run by a matter of inches in the final inning of Thursday's doubleheader against Millersville University. Instead, the potential homer went foul as KU was unable to mount the comeback and dropped the pair of games, 2-0 and 5-3.
The Golden Bears (14-23, 6-12 PSAC East) are running out of time to light the spark that led them to a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship and NCAA Championship Game appearance last season. Currently nine games behind .500 overall and in seventh place in the Eastern Division, Kutztown was looking for one, if not two wins on Thursday against the Marauders (20-20, 8-12).
In game one, KU suffered a 2-0 shutout at the hand of Millersville pitcher Brianna Andraos. Millersville's only runs came off a two-run double with two outs that went over the KU center fielder's head in the fourth inning.
Kutztown struck first in the nightcap. In the second inning with a runner on first,
Jackie Hetzler (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) hit a ground ball that not only went through the second baseman's legs, but under the right fielder's glove as well to score the unearned run from first.
Millersville responded with a leadoff homer in the third, and a pair of RBI doubles to take a 3-1 lead.
The game's next runs were scored with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. With the bases loaded,
Morgan Booth (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) hit an infield single that went off the pitcher's glove to move the runners up a base.
Danielle Sienko (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter) followed with the game-tying single to center field, but KU could not plate the go-ahead run as it closed the inning with a looking strikeout.
In the seventh, Millersville had a runner on first with two outs. Following a single to put the go-ahead run at second base, KU chose to intentionally walk Danielle DiFilippo, who was 5-for-6 on the afternoon, for Gabbie Berry, who was hitting more than 100 points lower than DiFilippo on the season. Berry connected on a softly-hit ground ball up the middle, which made it past the diving infield and score the eventual game-winning runs.
Marka Ballard (Redwood City, CA/Mercy Burlingame) hit a one-out single up the middle in the final inning for KU.
Ashley Lechner (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) came up to pinch-hit, and on the first pitch, hit a long foul ball that missed going inside the left field pole by a matter of inches. She ended up flying out to center field as a swinging strikeout gave Millersville the series with three out of four wins.
Kutztown hits the road on Friday, April 18, looking to rebound with a pair of wins against Mansfield University beginning at 2:30 p.m.
