Live Stats (Friday) | Live Stats (Saturday)
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Looking for its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) victory of the 2018 season, the Kutztown University softball team will have its chance this weekend with two games against East Stroudsburg University tomorrow, Friday April 13, followed by two games at North Campus Field against West Chester University the following day. Game one at ESU is set for 2:30 p.m. Friday, while game on from North Campus Field vs. WCU Saturday is slated for 1 p.m.
The Golden Bears (11-14 overall, 0-6 PSAC East) are searching for that elusive first league win to get the wheels moving. In their last outing on April 6, KU amassed 23 hits total in a doubleheader against Millersville, including a season-high 13 in game one, but the Marauders' bats were just a bit louder, powering 27 total hits in taking both games.
The Kutztown lineup came alive vs. Millersville, with six players recording multi-hit days, and eight players overall racking up at least one hit. Freshman
Jenna Lipowski (Nanticoke, Pa./Greater Nanticoke Area) and junior
Sara Keeny (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) both had four-hit days, while
Tamara Jennings (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy),
Bridget Newman (Ardmore, Pa./Haverford) and
Asja Saito (Pickering, Ontario/Pickering) all had three hits, and
Cheyenne Jones (Levittown, Pa./Harry S Truman (Northwest Florida State)) added two for KU.
Keeny is leading the way, primarily in the leadoff spot, batting a career-high .420 and holding a .478 on-base percentage. She is in the top-10 in the PSAC with 34 hits (7th), four triples (2nd), 17 stolen bases (2nd) and 20 runs scored (7th). She is eighth in batting average and ninth in on-base percentage.
If the KU lineup continues to bring the pop this weekend, it should find itself with more than just its first conference win.
The Warriors (10-16, 2-4) sit just in front of the Maroon and Gold in the East Division standings. They are coming in winners of their last three, and split their last PSAC doubleheader matchup with Shippensburg.
The ESU pitching staff ranks in the spot just ahead of KU in team ERA, at 3.78, compared to KU's 3.97. East Stroudsburg, however, ranks second-last in fielding percentage (.934), with Kutztown at .954. So to find success, the KU hitters will need to continue to hit the ball hard and put it in play. Limit the strikeouts, and forces the Warriors to make plays on the field.
Kutztown has won six of the last seven meetings between the two teams, including the last five games at Zimbar Field.
On Saturday, Kutztown welcomes the first-place Golden Rams (22-9, 7-1) to town. West Chester, winners of seven of its last eight games, is coming off a two-game sweep of Millersville last Sunday, April 8. It took both games against KU last Thursday, April 5.
Once again, KU will need its offense to be active and get on base. In the last meeting, reigning PSAC Pitcher of the Week Amanda Houck threw back-to-back five-inning complete games for WCU, surrendering just three hits and one run in each game while striking out four in game one and one in game two. The lefty has caused fits not only for KU, but for every team in the PSAC. The southpaw has a conference-best 15 wins and a 1.18 ERA and batters are hitting a league-low .208 against her.
For Kutztown to get back into the race for a top-three position in the PSAC East and a playoff position, it will need to produce this weekend.
Live stats are available via the links above, which can also be accessed on www.kubears.com.
