Spring Break Stats (11 Games)
CLERMONT, Fla. – The Kutztown University softball team (13-8) completed its last day of competition at the NTC College Spring Games on Friday with two tightly-contested victories over Dominican College (3-1) and the University of Bridgeport (3-2) at the Legends Way Ballfields.
Dominican started off the first game of the day with an early run off of a fielder's choice. However, this would be the only offense the Golden Bears would allow.
Bridget Newman (Ardmore, Pa./Haverford) pitched a complete game with only one run allowed and a mere four hits. She also notched three strikeouts and only walked a single batter.
Newman was also responsible for the first run scored by the Golden Bears in the bottom of the third, taking a pitch to the body to advance
Cheyenne Jones (Levittown, Pa./Harry S Truman (Northwest Florida State)) home.
One inning later,
Tamara Jennings (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy) cracked a double to left field to knock home
Angie Carty (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) and give the Maroon and Gold a 2-1 lead.
Kutztown went on to add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. An error by Dominican allowed
Sara Keeny (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) to advance for the unearned run.
Jennings was the offensive star for the Golden Bears, going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with the game-winning RBI. She also stole a base in the bottom of the first.
After the 3-1 victory, the Golden Bears had a quick turnaround for their final game of the tournament against Bridgeport, with
Savannah Nierintz (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby) getting the nod to pitch.
Just like the first game of the day, the Golden Bears surrendered the first run of the game, this time off of a double to center field in the bottom of the first.
Kutztown responded soundly in the top of the third inning off a single to left field by Keeny. The base hit brought home
Asja Saito (Pickering, Ontario/Pickering).
Two innings later, Jennings once again put the Golden Bears on top as she notched a single to center field to bring home Keeny and bring the score to 2-1 in favor of Kutztown.
Bridgeport would not go away quietly, however, as it tied the game 2-2 off of a sacrifice bunt to bring home the runner.
Seven innings was not enough for this game to decide a winner, but the eighth inning turned out to be something special.
With two outs and two strikes against her,
Marissa Linquist (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) hit a clutch RBI single to left field to score Jennings and give the Golden Bears the 3-2 lead.
The Golden Bears headed into the bottom of the eighth with little room for error.
With a runner on second, Bridgeport laid down a bunt to advance its runner to third with only one out. With the pressure building, Nierintz responded with poise and composure as she struck out consecutive batters to close out the contest.
Nierintz pitched a complete game and finished with 10 strikeouts. She now improves her record to an impressive 9-1 on the season.
Keeny went 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and has extended her hitting streak to 12 games.
The Golden Bears will take a 10-day hiatus before returning to action against Bloomfield College in New Jersey on March 27. The first game of the doubleheader is set to start at 2:30 p.m.
