Live StatsKUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University softball team takes its 13-game winning-streak to rival West Chester University to battle the No. 15 Golden Rams in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern division doubleheader on Saturday, April 2 at 1 p.m.
The weekend doubleheader features two of the best hitting teams in the PSAC.
Kutztown (21-7, 4-0 PSAC) leads the conference in hitting and is 11th in Division II with a batting average of .345. The Golden Bears are also top in the PSAC for hits and second in doubles (49). KU's offense ranks third in RBIs (137), runs scored (159) and stolen bases (40).
West Chester (27-3, 2-0 PSAC) is right behind KU, sitting fourth in the conference with a .314 batting average. WCU leads the PSAC in runs scored (191), RBIs (169) and stolen bases (63). The Golden Rams rank second in hits (260), and third in home runs (20).
The Golden Bears are led by
Sara Keeny (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent), who is fourth in Division II with a .490 batting average. Keeny has added 12 RBIs, 28 runs scored and 17 stolen bases as one of the top-freshman performers in Division II.
Danielle Amato (Henderson, Nev./Coronado) is second on the team with a .395 average. Amato has three home runs and 18 RBIs as the second-hardest player to strike out in the PSAC. She averages one strikeout per 43 at-bats and has just two on the season.
Gabby Tareila (Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford),
Danielle Sienko (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter), and
Rachel Lawes (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) help round out the KU offense, with all three in the middle of career-years. Tareila is batting .388 with 14 RBIs and 13 runs scored on the season. Sienko is hitting .359 with 13 RBIs while Lawes is batting .347 with 12 RBIs. Amato, Tareila, Sienko and Lawes are all in the top-40 in batting in the PSAC.
Blayse Cholish (Peckville, Pa./Valley View) leads KU with 17 RBIs.
Kutztown has nine players with an average over .300, and seven batters with double-digit RBIs.
For the Golden Rams, outfielder Kelly Madison and utility player Monica Twardowski lead the way on offense, both hitting .373. Madison has two home runs, 14 RBIs, 25 runs scored and 13 stolen bases while Twardowski has contributed three RBIs, 17 runs scored and nine steals. Alyssa Herion leads WCU in home runs with seven and added 21 RBIs. Cat Hammer is first in RBIs with 30 and has five home runs. Sarah Walasavage is a perfect 15-for-15 in stolen base attempts and is hitting .366 with 29 runs scored.
West Chester has six everyday players hitting over .300 and seven batters with double-digit RBIs.
Pitchers
Savannah Nierintz (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby) and
Bridget Newman (Ardmore, Pa./Haverford) will get tasked with trying to shut down WCU's attack. Nierintz is 10-5 on the year with a 2.05 ERA. She is 12th in the PSAC in ERA and tied for second for most wins. Newman is 4-1 with a 2.10 ERA.
KU is coming off a doubleheader sweep against East Stroudsburg University on Saturday, March 26. The Golden Bears are 4-1 on the road to open the season.
West Chester just completed a two-game sweep of Chestnut Hill College in a doubleheader on March 30. The Golden Rams are on a seven-game winning-streak of their own, and hosts East Stroudsburg on Friday, April 1 before Saturday's doubleheader. The Golden Rams are 5-1 at home this year and won last year's season-series against KU, 3-1.
Kutztown's 13-game winning-streak is the second-longest active streak in the PSAC.
