KUTZTOWN, Pa. – In a matchup of the past two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champions, Kutztown and West Chester softball showed why both programs have recently hoisted trophies. In a potential playoff preview, KU and WCU each won a game as the teams walked off North Campus Field Tuesday afternoon with a PSAC East Division doubleheader split.
 
The Golden Bears (25-19 overall, 19-9 PSAC East) bounced back for a 3-0 game two victory on a two-out, three-run home run by Sarah Harvey (Swanton, Vt./Missisquoi Valley Union), after the Golden Rams (35-14, 23-5) pulled out a come-from-behind, 4-3 win in the opener, as two of the top three teams in the East met.
 
Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township), Kate Ostaszewski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan), Brianna Hughes (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) and Harvey all finished with three hits on the day, with the latter adding three RBIs. Kristin Geesey (Bainbridge, Pa./Elizabethtown) and Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township) both had two hits.
 
Harvey also threw a complete-game, shutout in game two, winning her sixth game of the season. It was her second shutout on the year and third of her career.
 
Kutztown has a quick turnaround and will jump out of conference with a home doubleheader tomorrow, Wednesday, April 26, against Wilmington University. Game one is set for 1 p.m.
 
West Chester 4, Kutztown 3
 
West Chester got it going late in the game, scoring two runs in the top of the fifth and two in the seventh, the latter coming when Kutztown had a 3-2 lead and needed just three outs for the win. The Golden Rams tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth, but the Golden Rams answered immediately with a run in the bottom-half of the frame on an Ostaszewski RBI sacrifice fly. It was her 12th sacrifice fly of her career, tied for second-most in program history.
 
Kutztown opened the scoring with two runs in its first at-bats. Stocklin, who paced the offense with three hits, led off the game with a single up the middle and then stole second on the ensuing pitch. Following a strikeout, Ostaszewski singled via a bunt to third base and then stole second to put runners at second and third. Two batters later, Hughes singled them home with a base hit up the middle and a 2-0 early advantage.
 
Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg), who threw a complete game and allowed just three earned runs while striking out four, kept West Chester at bay and without a run for the first four innings. She got out of trouble in the first, third and fourth as the Golden Rams put runners in scoring position in each frame, but the sophomore PSAC East Pitcher of the Week got herself out of each jam.
 
Until the top of the fifth when three of the first four batters reached for the Golden Rams. Two singles and a KU error aided in the first run for the visiting team. A second error, a throwing error to first, allowed the second run of the inning to score and tie the game 2-2.
 
The Maroon and Gold responded and took their lead right back as Stocklin led off the bottom of the fifth with a double to left field. She advanced to second on a Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township) sacrifice bunt. Ostaszewski followed suit with her 16th RBI of the season.
 
Makenzie Edwards, who entered the game in the third inning, shut down the Golden Bears the rest of the way, recording outs on six of the next seven batters to end the game.
 
Kutztown 3, West Chester 0
 
Harvey's seventh home run of the season was a pivotal one for Kutztown, as it proved to be the game-winner with two on and two outs. She is tied for seventh in the PSAC in long balls this season. She also found success inside the circle, throwing seven strong, giving up just three hits, striking out two and allowing zero runs.
 
West Chester had just one base runner reach second base. That was the closest any Golden Ram got to home plate against the senior right hander. Back-to-back double plays in the sixth and seventh ended those innings, including Geesey's line drive she caught after initially striking Harvey's glove. The sophomore short stop then threw to Darnowski at first for the game-ender.
 
In a game that took just a little over an hour to play, the teams were scoreless through the first four innings. Darnowski had a one-out single to left and then, two batters later, ran to second following a Hughes single. In came Edwards, the game one winner for the Golden Rams, and out went the ball on the first pitch to Harvey. A three-run, go-ahead home run that tucked just inside the left field foul pole.

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