KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Sophomore shortstop Kristin Geesey (Bainbridge, Pa./Elizabethtown) had ice in her veins all day Tuesday, leading the charge to two walk-off wins for Kutztown over Shepherd to open Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division play at North Campus Field.
 
The Golden Bears (8-10 overall, 2-0 PSAC) were looking for some positive momentum entering conference play and they got it in a big way, taking down the Rams (15-5, 0-2) for two key wins.
 
Geesey stepped up to the plate in the late innings of both games and delivered two-out, run-scoring singles as KU rushed the field in joy each time. She went 5-for-8, including 3-for-3 with a walk in game two, and added three RBIs. Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township) was 7-for-8 with five runs scored, including all four in the second game. Kate Ostaszewski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) had three hits on the day and Sarah Harvey (Swanton, Vt./Missisquoi Valley Union) was a combined 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
 
Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) came on in relief in both games and was the pitcher of record in each, earning both victories inside the circle to improve her record to 5-2 on the year.
 
The home, non-conference doubleheader with Chestnut Hill has been canceled. KU is next set to take the field this Saturday, March 25, against Lock Haven, with game one beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Kutztown 4, Shepherd 3 (8 inn.)
 
Kutztown opened conference play in dramatic fashion, coming back from down 1-0 early and then breaking a 3-3 deadlock with an eight-inning, walk-off hit by Geesey to start PSAC play unbeaten.
 
After going behind 1-0 in the top of the second inning, the Maroon and Gold answered with three runs in the bottom of the third, highlighted by a bases loaded walk to Brianna Hughes (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland). It was the third straight walk by Rams starting pitcher Hannah Ruffner. Harvey then followed with a two-run single up the middle to help give her team their first lead at 3-1. She went 2-for-2.
 
The Rams got a run back in their ensuing at-bats, scoring on a wild pitch. Alex Mantz then connected on a solo home run in the fifth to tie the game.
 
The two teams were held scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings. Kutztown had a great opportunity to go on top in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with nobody out after three straight singles by Sarah Harvat (Bangor, Pa./Bangor), Stocklin and Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township). But Katie Laing entered the game and stranded the KU runners, earning three consecutive outs to keep the game tied 3-3.
 
It was a different story in the bottom of the eighth, however, as the Golden Bears rallied with two outs. Hughes singled down the left field line and then advanced to third on a dropped fly ball by the Rams shortstop. Geesey then stepped up and delivered, lining a base hit down the left field line to bring home the winning run in Hughes.
 
Gravish picked up her fourth victory of the season, throwing the final 3.1 innings, allowing three hits and striking out three.
 
Kutztown 4, Shepherd 3
Geesey did it again, driving in her classmate, Stocklin, who led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a double to cap a 3-for-3 game.
 
Unlike in the opener, Kutztown was the team to go ahead first, scoring a run in both the first and third innings. Geesey recorded her first RBI of the game, singling down the line in KU's first at-bats to bring around Stocklin for the first run of the game. In the third, with Stocklin on second base after a leadoff walk, Ostaszewski laid down a perfect bunt to the third baseman. The graduate student beat the throw, which then caromed off the first baseman's glove and to the fence, which allowed Stocklin to touch home plate again.
 
Shepherd tied the game in the top of the fifth inning thanks to back-to-back RBI doubles. The two teams then traded runs without recording a hit as the score was once again tied 3-3 heading into the seventh.
 
Gravish, who relieved Amanda Slabicki (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) in the top of the sixth after a great outing by the freshman, shut the door in the seventh, setting the stage for Geesey, Stocklin and the KU batters.

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