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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Savannah Nierintz (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby) and Amanda Houck showed why they are two of the best pitchers in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) on Friday. They battled in a pitcher's duel in game one as Houck's 21st-ranked West Chester University Golden Rams edged Nierintz's Kutztown University Golden Bears, 2-0 in nine innings. The KU softball team's bats heated up in game two, taking a 10-2 victory in five innings at North Campus Field to remain in first place in the PSAC East.
 
The opening game snapped Kutztown's season-high 13-game winning streak. It was KU's first PSAC loss of the year as it now stands at 24-9, 7-1 in the PSAC, while West Chester sits at 30-8, 6-2 in the PSAC.
 
Game one was a classic pitcher's duel with two of the best pitchers in the PSAC squaring off. Nierintz went a stretch of 15 straight retired batters at one point that carried into extra innings. She closed her line by allowing the two runs – none earned – off five hits with nine strikeouts and no walks.
 
Both teams stranded runners in scoring position at points during the game. It wasn't until the ninth that a run broke through. West Chester put one on with one out, as a KU infield fielding error gave West Chester momentum with one out in the ninth.
 
On the first pitch she saw, West Chester's Cat Hammer drove a deep fly ball to right-center. KU's Tamara Jennings (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy) made a diving effort to make the play in the gap, but the ball fell just out of reach as both runners scored for the sole two runs of the day.
 
Houck won her 20th game of the year for West Chester with her nine-inning shutout. She allowed seven hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
 
Asja Saito (Pickering, Ontario/Pickering) had two hits in the opener, and Sara Keeny (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) stole two bases in one inning to highlight KU's opener.
 
Keeny finished the day 5-for-8 at the plate with three stolen bases, including a 4-for-4, four RBI performance in game two. A sophomore, Keeny moved into fifth all-time at KU with 57 career stolen bases.
 
West Chester took a 1-0 lead in the second, but Kutztown answered with three runs in the bottom-half of the second to regain the lead for good. Angie Carty (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) bunted in a run to tie the game and Kenny hit a two-run single over the third baseman for a 3-1 KU lead.
 
Taylor Knappenberger (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) drove in a run in the third, Cheyenne Jones (Levittown, Pa./Harry S Truman (Northwest Florida State)) hit an RBI-double in the fourth, and smart baserunning by Keeny to score from third on a rundown at second base gave KU a 6-2 lead through four.
 
The fifth inning was the final inning of the day as KU posted four runs to take an eight-run lead. Keeny tallied another two-run single for an 8-2 lead, Carty scored on a passed ball and Jennings hit the game-ending RBI single.
 
Bridget Newman (Ardmore, Pa./Haverford) moved to 5-4 on the year with the complete-game victory. She also went 2-for-3 at the plate.
 
Kutztown returns to action tomorrow, Saturday, April 15, at home against Shippensburg University at 1 p.m. at North Campus Field. KU won the first two meetings at SHIP this year, 3-0 and 3-1.