KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University softball team, looking to return to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament after missing out last year, took a big step towards accomplishing that goal Saturday. KU won both games against East Stroudsburg University, 4-1 in game one and 8-2 in game two for a two-game sweep at North Campus Field.
 
The Golden Bears (20-13 overall, 5-3 PSAC) now have two sweeps in conference play, the other being at Millersville last weekend, and has now won at least one game against three of their four PSAC East opponents through the first round of play against the foes.
 
Seniors Cheyenne Jones (Levittown, Pa./Harry S Truman (Northwest Florida State)) and Sara Keeny (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent), and freshman Dani Nordyk (Orange, Conn./Amity) all recorded three hits on the day to lead a group of seven players that posted multi-hit days. Junior Taylor Knappenberger (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland), sophomores Hannah Auvil (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point) and Jenna Lipowski (Nanticoke, Pa./Greater Nanticoke Area), and freshman Katelyn Ostaszewski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) each had two hits over the course of the double header. Jones had four RBI and Tamara Jennings (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy) and Emily Ostaszewski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan (C.C. of Philadelphia)) both tallied three runs batted in for KU.
 
The freshmen pitching duo of Amber Brugger (Levittown, Pa./Neshaminy) and Bridget Bailey (Norwood, Pa./Interboro) combined to pick up the two victories inside the circle. Bailey earned her 10th win of the season, tied for the most in the PSAC.
 
Kutztown is back out on the field in a non-conference double header tomorrow, Sunday, Apr. 7, at FDR Park in Philadelphia, as it will take on the University of the Sciences. Game on begins at 12 p.m.
 
Kutztown 4, East Stroudsburg 1
 
This game was decided by one swing of the bat. One big swing of the bat.
 
Jones, who recently reached the 100 career hit milestone in Kutztown's series with Shippensburg last Thursday, had one of the more important KU hits of the year as she drove the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the fourth inning over the center field wall for a three-run home run to break a 1-1 tie.
 
The Maroon and Gold outhit the Warriors (18-16, 1-3) 7-6, but that lone hit differential proved to be the key in this one.
 
Brugger struck out a season-high six batters and allowed just one earned run, a double in the second inning. She never really got into trouble as ESU reached second base just once more after its second inning run.
 
Lipowski had an RBI groundout for KU's first run in the bottom of the first.
 
Kutztown 8, East Stroudsburg 2
 
Kutztown kept its foot on the gas heading into game two, scoring four times in its first at-bats, and had five through the first two innings to take control of the game early on.
 
Keeny led off the first with a walk and then stole second, her 111th career stolen base. After two outs the next two batters, four straight reached base safely, including RBI doubles by Lipowski and Jones and a two-run single by E. Ostaszewski.
 
Jennings then brought home the next two KU runs, one in the second and one in the fourth as the Golden Bears were able to extend their advantage to 6-0.
 
Bailey was cruising along throughout the first five innings, giving up just two hits. But the Warriors were able to chip away at their deficit in the sixth, doubling that total in the inning and getting two runs to cross home plate.
 
Kutztown got those two runs right back in the bottom-half of the sixth as Jennings got her third RBI of the game on a single and then the inning was capped by pinch-hitter Kiera Brown (Nanticoke, Pa./Greater Nanticoke Area) ripping a 1-0 pitch the other way into left field for an RBI base hit.
 
Bailey sat down East Stroudsburg 1-2-3 in the seventh for her PSAC-leading 10th victory.