Senior Day Photo Gallery | VIDEO: Amato's Game-Winning Home Run (G1)
HTML Box Scores: Game 1 | Game 2 KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Freshman
Danielle Amato certainly earned herself more playing time on Saturday. She hit a pinch-hit, game-winning three-run homer in the fifth inning of game one to lift the Kutztown University softball team to a 3-2 victory over Lock Haven University. In the starting lineup in game two, Amato hit a walk-off RBI double in the seventh inning in a 3-2 KU victory at North Campus Field.
The Golden Bears (21-8, 9-4 PSAC East) earned their first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) sweep in four series after splitting with their last three opponents, including the Bald Eagles (8-14, 4-4). The win keeps KU ranked in the top two in the Eastern Division in wins.
Amato went a combined 4-for-5 in the doubleheader, including a three-hit performance in game two. She improved her team-leading batting average to .424.
In game one, Amato was called upon with KU trailing 2-0 with one out and two runners on base. On a 2-2 count, Amato belted a long fly ball to left field that went over the wall and scored
Marissa Linquist and
Blayse Cholish, and brought the entire KU team out to home plate to greet the freshman hero (
VIDEO). It was only KU's third hit of the day in a game that had just seven combined.
Saturday also marked Senior Day for KU's
Dominique Ficara,
Mary Kociencki and
Colleen Smith. All three started game one with Ficara slated as the starting pitcher. Outside of a solo home run in the first inning, Ficara kept Lock Haven in check for most of the game. In a complete game effort, she allowed two runs – one earned – on three hits with two strikeouts. It was her 42nd career win and 54th career complete game.
Lock Haven pitcher Rachel Mouillesseaux had seven strikeouts in the opener, but allowed four walks and had one of KU's three game-winning runs score as unearned.
Amato was slated as the starting designated player in game two, and she did not disappoint. To cap a 3-for-4 game, Amato once again was the hero in the final inning. Tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Cholish led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by
Asja Saito, and on an 0-1 count, Amato belted a deep fly ball the opposite way to right field that went over the fielders head and scored Cholish from second for KU's 3-2 walk-off win.
The game's first three runs went down as unearned. KU took a 1-0 lead in the first on a fielding error by the Lock Haven shortstop, but gave back two runs in the third on a two-out throwing error by the third baseman that scored two runs to give Lock Haven a 2-1 lead.
Linquist tied the game in the fourth inning with a RBI double to score
Casey Charterina, as both pitchers did not allow another run until the final batter.
Savannah Nierintz moved to 14-2 with the win in the nightcap. She allowed six hits and had four strikeouts with two walks. It snapped a two-game skid for the sophomore after starting the year 13-0. Lock Haven's Jessie Probst was tabbed with the loss with seven allowed hits and three runs – two earned.
The Golden Bears remain home and return to action tomorrow, Sunday, April 12, at North Campus Field to take on Bloomsburg University at 1 p.m.
