SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Kutztown University softball team opened Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division play in the win column Thursday, topping Shippensburg University in both games of a doubleheader by scores of 3-0 and 3-1 at Robb Field.
 
Savannah Nierintz (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby) (1.46 ERA) extended her record to 11-1 in the circle on Thursday with two complete games. She threw a shutout in game one, allowing four hits and striking out six. She followed with a one-run win in game two. She struck out nine batters, one shy of a season-high.
 
She moved into fourth all-time at KU with 338 career strikeouts.
 
Kutztown (15-8, 2-0 PSAC) started action early in the first inning of game one, when Gabby Tareila (Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford) flied out to right field, sending Sara Keeny (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) home for her first run on the day.
 
After 3.5 innings of ensuing scoreless play, Gia Santigate (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by-the-Sea) singled up the middle in the top of the fifth, once again driving Keeny home to extend the Golden Bear lead to 2-0. 
 
Blayse Cholish (Peckville, Pa./Valley View) assisted in capping Kutztown's runs in game one with an RBI double to right-center field, allowing freshman Taylor Knappenberger (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) to take home, bringing the Maroon and Gold's advantage to 3-0 while keeping Shippensburg scoreless for the rest of the game.
 
The Maroon and Gold quickly added another conference victory in game two and extended their winning streak to five games, after jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning of the nightcap.
 
Asja Saito (Pickering, Ontario/Pickering) sparked Kutztown's campaign to sweep the doubleheader in the top of the second, knocking an RBI double to centerfield to allow Tareila to notch her first run of the afternoon, giving KU a 1-0 lead.
 
Cholish continued second-inning action for the Golden Bears, capping the inning with a two-RBI single to left field, knocking home both Saito and Amanda Portoff (Milford, Conn./Joseph A. Foran) and giving Kutztown an early 3-0 lead over the Raiders.
 
Despite Shippensburg's sole run of the afternoon coming in the bottom of the fourth inning and cutting Kutztown's advantage to two, the Golden Bear defense ensured that run would be the last, holding its two-run lead for the remainder of the afternoon to complete the two-game sweep.
 
Cholish racked up a combined three hits and three RBI. Keeny ended the day with a combined two runs and two hits and extended her hitting streak to 14 games.
 
Tara Bicko led Shippensburg (15-12, 0-2 PSAC) with two hits and one run. Emily Zaring contributed three hits and an RBI.
 
The Golden Bears head to East Rutherford, N.J. to compete in a non-conference doubleheader against Felician University on Sunday, April 2, with game one set to begin at 1 p.m.