QUAKERTOWN, Pa. – Tournament Most Valuable Player, Kate Ostaszewski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan), cemented her name for the MVP with an RBI single to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning, giving Kutztown University its first lead of the game. KU added two more runs in the frame and held on to take down Mercyhurst University 7-4 Sunday afternoon to win the 2022 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship. It is the program's first conference title since 2013.
 
The Golden Bears (37-13 overall) won the PSAC East Division, going 12-4 in the conference, and were the top seed out of the division. The Lakers (32-14) were the three seed out of the West Division. The two teams knew each other well, having just played on Thursday night, May 5, before rain forced back-to-back days of postponements. Kutztown won that game 9-5 to clinch a spot in the championship game. Mercyhurst had to defeat Bloomsburg in the second game of the day, 4-3, prior to its game with KU. The Huskies beat Shepherd 8-6 in the first game of the day.
 
"This title means a lot to all of us," said junior pitcher Sarah Harvey (Swanton, Vt./Missisquoi Valley Union), who earned the victory in relief inside the circle. "We have a lot of talented players and great girls. Last year didn't go as we had hoped, but everyone stayed loyal and a lot of seniors came back and we really wanted this for them and our program. We really gave it all we got and I'm proud of the team."
 
Sunday's victory marked the fourth straight comeback win for the Maroon and Gold in the tournament. Kutztown fell behind East Stroudsburg in the opener Wednesday after two, first inning home runs, but rattled off 10 unanswered runs in the third-through-sixth innings to win 10-2. In the first game Thursday, KU trailed Bloomsburg 3-1 heading into its last at-bats in the seventh before Hannah Reimel (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) and Hannah Auvil (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point) smacked game-tying and game-winning home runs for a 4-3 win. The following game that day, the Golden Bears had a 5-1 deficit in the sixth, but scored eight in the final two innings to get the better of the Lakers.
 
Sunday was no different.
 
Mercyhurst scored twice in the top of the second and two more in the fifth to take a commanding 4-0 lead. Kutztown had just two hits coming into the bottom of the fifth inning and was searching for life. It was found thanks to the bat of freshman leadoff hitter, Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township).
 
Following a one-out walk by Zoe Texidor (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township), Stocklin ripped a double the other way to left field that brought Texidor all the way home for KU's first run. Two batters later, Stocklin touched home after a run-scoring single by Ostaszewski. A Mercyhurst drop in right field and then a walk by Kristin Geesey (Bainbridge, Pa./Elizabethtown) allowed Kutztown to come all the way back and tie the game at 4-4.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, four of the first five batters in the lineup reached base safely. Texidor led off with a single. Stocklin then reached on an error to put runners at second and third with nobody out. Two batters later, Ostaszewski singled to right and Texidor crossed home for what proved to be the game-winning run. Ostaszewski then stole second and both her and Stocklin scored on a two-run single by Jenna Lipowski (Nanticoke, Pa./Greater Nanticoke Area) to push KU ahead 7-4.
 
"We started getting used to their starter and how she threw," said Harvey. "I thought that the second time around in our lineup we really figured things out and got it going. We have a dangerous lineup. Anyone can step up and have a great at-bat."
 
The Lakers got their leadoff on base in the top of the seventh, but Harvey induced a ground ball, double play that she started and then finished the game off with a groundout to, who else, Ostaszewski at second base as Kutztown rushed the field in celebration.
 
Ostaszewski finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. She hit .500 (7-for-14) in the four games at the tournament, adding eight RBIs and five runs. Harvey entered the game with one out in the top of the fifth and shut down the doors, throwing the final two-and-two-third innings of shutout ball, giving up just three hits, but zero runners past first base. Harvey also had a hit at the plate, along with Lipowski, Texidor, Stocklin and Brianna Hughes (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland).
 
Kutztown, which was ranked No. 1 in the last edition of the NCAA Atlantic Regional rankings last week, will look to secure that top spot when the NCAA Selection Show takes place tomorrow, Monday, May 9, at 10 a.m. If KU is a top-two seed, it would host a regional pod late next week.

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