WINTER PARK, Fla. – Don't let the town name fool you. While the Kutztown University community spent its Tuesday digging out of Winter Storm Stella, the KU softball team enjoyed nearly ideal conditions Tuesday night for its doubleheader in Winter Park, Florida. KU fell in the final inning of game one to Rollins College, 2-1, and rallied to win in the final inning of the nightcap, 3-2.
Gia Santigate (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by-the-Sea) was the hero in game two with the game-winning RBI in the seventh inning. Tied 2-2,
Tamara Jennings (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy) opened the seventh with an infield single. On a fly ball to right field with one-out, Jennings used her speed and smarts to tag up and take second base to put herself in scoring position.
One batter later, Santigate drove in Jennings from second base on an RBI single to right field.
KU pitcher
Savannah Nierintz (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby) finished the job, capping her complete-game victory in the bottom-half of the seventh. She had seven strikeouts and allowed six hits while moving to 7-1 on the year.
Gabby Tareila (Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford) gave KU a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single, Rollins took a 2-1 lead with runs in the third and fourth innings, and
Bridget Newman (Ardmore, Pa./Haverford) tied the game in the fifth with a two-out single.
Newman was terrific in the opener. Pitching in the circle, she allowed two hits in her first six scoreless innings, and combined with a
Sara Keeny (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) two-out, RBI single in the second, gave KU a 1-0 lead heading into the final inning.
Unfortunately for KU, a fielding error in the seventh ended up deciding the game. Rollins opened the seventh with a bunt single. On the ensuing batter, a groundball in front of the plate was picked up by the KU catcher, but thrown into right field to score the unearned run and put the winning run on third.
Two batters later after getting within an out of getting out of the inning, an RBI single up the middle won the game for Rollins. Both runs were unearned against Newman, who finished with five strikeouts and one walk.
Rollins pitcher Sarah Piening picked up the complete-game win, allowing seven hits with one strikeout.
The Golden Bears return to action on Wednesday, March 15, for a single game at Florida Tech beginning at 1:30 p.m.
