NYACK, N.Y. – The Kutztown University softball team had its most complete performance in a two-game series this season Monday as it combined to outscore Nyack College 22-3 in the two games for a two-game sweep on the road.
 
The Golden Bears (13-10 overall) scored eight runs and used the arm of senior pitcher Erin Fortney (Bedford, Nova Scotia/Bishop Macdonell (Rollins)) in the opener to win 8-0 in five innings, before collecting 14 hits and 14 runs in taking game two 14-3. KU has now won six of its last seven games.
 
The Kutztown offense totaled nine extra-base hits on the day (four doubles, two triples and three home runs). Currently, KU leads the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in batting average (.354), total bases (332) and triples (15) and is second in RBI (134), home runs (12) and runs scored (156).
 
Senior Tamara Jennings (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy) was 6-for-8 on the day, including three doubles and two home runs. She also recorded five RBI and five runs scored, tying career-highs with three RBI in game one and three runs in game two. Classmate Sara Keeny (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) had two hits each game, and freshman pitcher Bridget Bailey (Norwood, Pa./Interboro) started the nightcap inside the circle and came away with her team-leading sixth win this season in throwing all seven innings, striking out a new season-high seven batters.
 
Taylor Knappenberger (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) and Zoe Texidor (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) both contributed three hits on the day with Texidor blasting her first career home run. Hannah Auvil (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point) had two hits, including a triple, her second this season and second within the last three games.
 
Kutztown begins its PSAC portion of the schedule this weekend with a double header at home Friday, March 29, against West Chester with game one at 1 p.m. at North Campus Field.
 
Kutztown 8, Nyack 0
 
Fortney had it going inside the circle, pitching a three-hitter, a season-high when going at least five innings. She never had more than one runner on base in an inning all day.
 
The Maroon and Gold offense made sure to back up her stellar performance by putting runs on the board.
 
The senior duo of Jennings and Keeny connected for the first run of the game in the top of the first inning as Keeny led off with a single, stole second, and then scored on a single by Jennings for the early 1-0 lead. But that would be the only run scored through the first two innings by either team.
 
But KU knew it needed more and it broke the game open in the third and fourth innings, scoring seven runs to shorten the game to just five innings.
 
In the third, Jennings doubled home Paola Texidor (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) and then Cheyenne Jones (Levittown, Pa./Harry S Truman (Northwest Florida State)) had a sacrifice fly that scored Jennings. The following frame, Texidor had an RBI groundout, Jennings ripped another RBI double and Katelyn Ostaszewski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) posted an RBI single up the middle to cap a three-run inning.
 
That was all Fortney needed as she sat down six of the next seven batters for the win.
 
Kutztown 14, Nyack 3
 
In the day's finale, the Kutztown offense gave itself a cushion in the beginning, scoring five runs within the first two innings.
 
In the top of the first, KU's two runs came with two outs and two extra-base hits.
 
Jennings smacked a solo shot to right field for the game's first run. Then, after a base hit by Jenna Lipowski (Nanticoke, Pa./Greater Nanticoke Area), Jones tripled, allowing Lipowski to touch home plate for a 2-0 advantage.
 
In the second, Knappenberger and Z. Texidor each singled to put two runners on with one out. A Warriors error in the next at-bat brought around Knappenberger and then another Nyack miscue a batter later allowed two Golden Bear runs to make it 5-0 after two.
 
The Warriors chipped away, scoring a run in each of the next three innings, but from there Bailey settled in and pitched scoreless ball from the fifth on.
 
With the score at 7-3 and the game still within reach for Nyack in the top of the seventh, Kutztown put the game to bed with a seven-run frame, tallying five hits and seeing eight batters reach base, highlighted by another double from Jennings and Z. Texidor's first career home run.