KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University softball team had played six games in four days after Sunday's sweep at Sciences. KU was able to wrap up a stretch of eight games in five days in quick fashion as it defeated Holy Family 9-1 in five innings of game one and then 8-0 in six frames of game two Monday in non-conference action at North Campus Field.
 
The Golden Bears (24-13 overall) have now won seven games in-a-row and 11 of their last 12 overall. The 24 wins is currently the most in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
 
The high-powered Kutztown offense, which ranks at the top of the PSAC in several different categories, was at it again. KU's 17 runs came on 20 hits, including 14 in the opener. Nine different Golden Bears posted at least one hit Monday and seven in the lineup had hits in the opener.
 
Sara Keeny (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) went 4-for-4 in game one, her fifth 4-for-4 game this season and the second in-a-row after accomplishing the feat in game two in Philadelphia Sunday. Tamara Jennings (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy), Cheyenne Jones (Levittown, Pa./Harry S Truman (Northwest Florida State)) and Hannah Auvil (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point) each had three-hit days. Taylor Knappenberger (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) and Jenna Lipowski (Nanticoke, Pa./Greater Nanticoke Area) both finished with two hits, and Kiera Brown (Nanticoke, Pa./Greater Nanticoke Area), Emily Ostaszewski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan (C.C. of Philadelphia)) and Katelyn Ostaszewski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) all recorded a hit.
 
The Maroon and Gold bats sit atop the conference in batting average (.356), hits (362), runs scored (243), triples (18), runs batted in (211), total bases (519), slugging percentage (.510) and on-base percentage (.409). Keeny is hitting .524, which ranks third in the PSAC, and she is also in the top-five in OBP (.566), runs (42), hits (66), triples (5) and stolen bases (30). Jennings is second with 49 hits, second in runs scored (37) and fourth in RBI (35). Lipowski is tied for first with 38 RBI and Jones is third with 37, as KU has three hitters ranked in the top-four in the league in the category.
 
The freshman pitching duo of Amber Brugger (Levittown, Pa./Neshaminy) and Bridget Bailey (Norwood, Pa./Interboro) earned victories once again today with Brugger (8-5) throwing game one and Bailey (11-4) the nightcap. Bailey's 11 wins is tied for the PSAC lead. She also struck out her 100th batter and currently sits at 101 strikeouts this season, third in the conference.
 
Kutztown will hit the road to take on Goldey-Beacom in a non-conference double header on Thursday, April 11, with game one beginning at 2:30 p.m.
 
Kutztown 9, Holy Family 1
 
The Tigers were able to get to Brugger early thanks to a solo home run over the right field wall and a 1-0 lead. But that would be the final run Kutztown would allow the rest of the day.
 
KU scored in every inning, with two runners crossing home plate in the first-through-fourth innings, and then once more in the fifth to seal the game one victory.
 
Keeny led off KU's first with a base hit and then swiped her first of three bases during the game and four total on the day. The senior now has 119 career stolen bases, second in both program and PSAC history, behind a fellow KU graduate Lorie Erie ('96) who has 140.
 
K. Ostaszewski brought Keeny home the next batter with an RBI single, then scored herself three batters later on a sacrifice fly by Knappenberger.
 
Keeny and Jones accounted for the KU scoring in the second and third innings respectively as each tallied two-run singles to center field.
 
In the fourth, Jennings and Lipowski had RBI base hits, and needing one more run in the fifth to end it early, Jennings once again delivered with a runner in scoring position, sending home Erin Fortney (Bedford, Nova Scotia/Bishop Macdonell (Rollins)) with the winning run.
 
Brugger settled in after that first inning long ball and allowed just three hits the rest of the way, while striking out six, tying a season-high.
 
Kutztown 8, Holy Family 0
 
Kutztown scored in every inning but the third in this one.
 
There were five extra-base hits, including two home runs, one a solo shot by Auvil in the second, and the other a two-run long ball from Jones in the fourth. Auvil also doubled and had an RBI single. Jennings and Brown also connected on doubles with Jennings' scoring two runs in the sixth that allowed the Golden Bears to go home early.
 
Bailey struck out seven and gave up just four hits in the shutout, her second shutout in the last week.