CLERMONT, Flor. – The Kutztown University softball team played two games before noon on Sunday. It allowed nine runs in the first four innings of a 9-4 defeat to Upper Iowa, but responded with a 15-1 win over the College of Saint Rose in five innings at Hancock Park.
Kutztown's starting pitcher couldn't make it through the first inning of game one. KU allowed two runs in the first and second innings, but began its comeback with a three-run third inning to pull within one.
The Golden Bears opened the third with three singles, including bunt singles by freshmen
Tamara Jennings (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy) and
Sara Keeny (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent). An infield error plated the first run;
Danielle Sienko (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter) knocked an RBI single to center field and an eventual groundball by
Savannah Nierintz (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby) with one out scored
Blayse Cholish (Peckville, Pa./Valley View) from third to bring the deficit to 4-3.
The bottom of the fourth proved to be the difference maker though with Upper Iowa scoring five runs to pull ahead for the final time. A one-out error on KU turned into a two-run homer with one out to put Upper Iowa up 6-3. A double, followed by three two-out hits put KU in a 9-3 hole after four.
Danielle Amato (Henderson, Nev./Coronado) drove in a run in the fifth for KU's final run of the opener.
Momentum turned back in Kutztown's favor in game two. Kutztown scored seven runs in the first, four in the second and four in the third to pull out to a 15-0 lead through three over the College of Saint Rose.
Five Golden Bears had multi-hit games in the nightcap, led by a 3-for-3 performance by
Marissa Linquist (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford). She drove in three runs and scored twice.
Keeny, Sienko, Amato and Nierintz all had two hits apiece, while Nierintz tied Linquist with a game-high three RBIs.
In the circle, Nierintz allowed four hits in her complete game effort. She had three strikeouts and one walk while throwing 60 pitches in five innings.
Kutztown continues spring break action with two games on Monday, March 7. It takes on Ashland at 9 a.m. and Felician at 11 a.m.
