QUAKERTOWN, Pa. -- Kate Ostaszewski's (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) three-run homer in the top of the sixth inning spearheaded an eight-run rally that pushed the 24th-ranked Kutztown University softball team past Mercyhurst, 9-5, Thursday night at Veterans Park and into its first PSAC championship game since 2013.
The Golden Bears trailed 5-1 entering the sixth, but
Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township) doubled and
Hannah Auvil (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point) singled to put runners on the corners for Ostaszewski. The senior from Philadelphia belted the first pitch she saw from Mercyhurst pitcher Morgan Hilty over the center field fence, quickly pulling KU back within one.
Alyssa Donato (Cedarville, N.J./Cumberland Regional) added a double, but the Lakers managed to get out of the sixth without allowing the equalizer. They weren't as fortunate in the seventh.
Kutztown's (36-13) heroes from its 4-3 comeback win over Bloomsburg earlier in the day were ready for an encore.
Hannah Reimel (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent), who hit the game-tying homer against the Huskies, singled to start the seventh before pinch-hitter
Brittany Hubler (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) drew a seven-pitch walk.
Stocklin saw six pitches and tattooed the last of those off the wall in left center for a game-tying double that plated Reimel. That brought
Hannah Auvil (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point), who hit the walk-off homer against Bloomsburg, to the dish.
This time, the veteran backstop smoked an 0-1 pitch from reliever Kaitlin Hoffner off the glove of Chloe McQuestion at second base and into right field for a two-run single that put the Maroon and Gold in front for the first time all night, 7-5.
Kutztown capped the rally in style when
Jenna Lipowski (Nanticoke, Pa./Greater Nanticoke Area) absolutely mashed Hoffner's full count offering to left for a two-run shot to make it 9-5. The home run was the 34th of Lipowski's storied career, tying her for fourth all-time in team history with Nicole Henninger.
Bridget Bailey (Norwood, Pa./Interboro) retired the Lakers in order in the bottom of the seventh to finish off four scoreless innings of relief for her second win of the day and 22nd of the season (22-5). Bailey scattered three hits and struck out four, while moving into a tie for sixth with Savannah Nierintz on KU's single-season wins list.
Starter
Sarah Harvey (Swanton, Vt./Missisquoi Valley Union) worked the first three frames, giving up five runs (three earned) and fanning three.
The top of coach
Judy Lawes' lineup came through when they were needed most. Stocklin, Auvil, Ostaszewski and Lipowski --the 1-4 hitters-- were a combined 7-for-15 with seven runs scored and all nine runs batted in.
Eliza Reynolds hit a two-run homer for Mercyhurst in the third to open the scoring, while McQuestion's two-run single expanded the Lakers' (31-13) advantage to 5-1 in the fourth.
Hilty kept the Bears in check until the late going, but ended up with the loss after getting tagged for seven runs on eight hits in six innings. She struck out six.
Kutztown improved to 3-0 at the PSAC Championship and punched its ticket to the championship game for the first time since 2013, when it ran the table with a perfect 4-0 record on the way to the program's first conference title. The Golden Bears will get a day of rest, Friday, and return to action Saturday morning at 11 a.m., weather permitting, against an opponent yet to be determined in Game 18 of the tournament.
As the only remaining team without a loss, Kutztown can capture the championship with a win in Game 18 or Game 19, if necessary.
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