Live Stats Saturday | Live Stats Sunday
KUTZTOWN, Pa. - The Kutztown University softball team heads into this weekend ranked second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East standings with a chance to win the PSAC East Title. KU plays in PSAC doubleheaders against West Chester on Saturday, April 23 and Millersville on Sunday, April 24.
The Golden Bears (27-11) are currently second in the PSAC East standings with an 8-4 conference record, just two games behind 13th-ranked West Chester for first in the division. Millersville sits a game behind KU at 9-5. Saturday's home doubleheader with West Chester starts at 1 p.m. at North Campus Field and Sunday's road doubleheader with Millersville also begins at 1 p.m..
Kutztown heads into this weekend winners of six of its last eight games, including a doubleheader sweep over Nyack on Tuesday. KU dominated in both games of the doubleheader, recording victories of 10-1 and 12-0.
The Golden Bear offense had 19 hits, three home runs and 16 RBI during the doubleheader, highlighted by
Danielle Sienko (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter)'s 3-for-5 day with five RBIs and two runs scored. Sienko,
Blayse Cholish (Peckville, Pa./Valley View) and
Bridget Newman (Ardmore, Pa./Haverford) all hit home runs in the doubleheader and helped lead KU to back-to-back double-digit scoring outputs for the first time this season.
As a team, Kutztown ranks in the top-five in the PSAC in batting average (.329), earned run average (2.19) and fielding percentage (.966). KU is third with 341 hits and 179 RBI, and has allowed the fifth-fewest hits this season (242).
Freshman
Sara Keeny (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) has been stellar all season, as she leads the PSAC with a .427 batting average, the sixth-best average for a freshman in all of Division II. Her .427 average is the best for a KU freshman since KU Hall-of-Famer Sharon Toth's .495 mark in 1987.
Keeny is second in the PSAC with 56 hits and 24 stolen bases, and has started in all 38 of KU's games. Her 24 stolen bases are the most for a KU freshman since Vanessa Strohl stole 30 in 1997.
Keeny is one of nine qualified KU hitters that is hitting over .300 this season.
Danielle Amato (Henderson, Nev./Coronado) is second on the team with a .376 batting average (15th in PSAC) and leads KU with four home runs (19th) and 25 RBIs (18th). Sienko is batting .368 on the season with 39 hits and 23 RBIs.
Bridget Newman (Ardmore, Pa./Haverford) is tied with Sienko for the team-lead with four home runs. She is hitting .366 with 26 hits and 15 RBIs.
Gabby Tareila (Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford),
Rachel Lawes (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) and
Nicki Mann (Greentown, Pa./Wallenpaupack Area) have all started in over 30 games this season and are each hitting over the .300 mark. Tareila has 30 hits, while Lawes and Mann rank in the top-three on KU in stolen bases.
Savannah Nierintz (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby) and Newman have led the way for the Golden Bear pitching staff this season. Newman leads KU with a 1.76 earned run average. She holds a 6-1 record on the mound with four complete games and two shutouts.
Nierintz has made 19 starts, recording 14 victories (third in PSAC). She leads the team with 132 innings pitched and 86 strikeouts. Nierintz has 15 complete games, three shutouts and two saves.
West Chester currently has a stellar 43-5 overall record, including a 14-2 mark on the road. It has won 23 of its last 25 games, with its only two losses coming in a doubleheader against Millersville last Saturday.
The Golden Rams swept Kutztown at home in the beginning of April by scores of 2-1 and 8-0. They have eight starters hitting over .300, including one of the top power hitters in the conference in Alyssa Herion. Herion ranks second in the PSAC with 10 home runs and is fourth with 38 RBIs.
Millersville heads into Sunday's doubleheader with a 4-2 record in its last six games. It split a doubleheader against Kutztown earlier this season at home, winning game one, 4-3, and dropping game two, 5-4.
Brittany Smith leads the Marauders with 41 hits this season, including team-highs of four home runs and 27 RBIs. Heather Lutz leads Millersville with 23 runs scored and nine doubles. Brianna Andraos has been great on the mound, recording a 13-8 record and 1.95 earned run average.
