KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown softball had leads slip in both games, falling to Wilmington University in two non-conference games Wednesday afternoon at North Campus Field, 6-3 and 7-3.
 
The Golden Bears (25-21 overall) came into the doubleheader winners of 11 of their last 13 games overall. They were ranked ninth in the second week of the NCAA Atlantic Regional poll. Eight teams make the field from the region.
 
Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township) finished the day with four hits combined in the two games and two RBIs, along with scoring two runs. Kate Ostaszewski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) had three hits and drove in two runs. Sarah Harvey (Swanton, Vt./Missisquoi Valley Union), Kristin Geesey (Bainbridge, Pa./Elizabethtown) and Sarah Harvat (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) all recorded two hits with Harvey adding an RBI.
 
Kutztown is set for its third straight day of games as it will travel to take on Millersville tomorrow, Thursday, April 27, for a doubleheader beginning at 1:30 p.m. KU will conclude its regular season by hosting Shippensburg on senior day this Saturday, April 29, beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Wilmington 6, Kutztown 3
 
Wilmington produced a four-run top of the sixth inning to complete a comeback victory after trailing 2-0 into the fourth and 3-1 in the fifth. The Wildcats outhit Kutztown 10-6 overall.
 
Stocklin led off the game with a single up the middle, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township), and then scored following an RBI double down the right field line by Ostaszewski. Two batters later, Harvey made it 2-0 in favor of the Golden Bears with a single to left to bright around Ostaszewski.
 
The two teams traded scoreless innings in the second and third before Gabbie Saucedo got her team on the scoreboard with a solo home run over the right center field wall in the top of the fourth. Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg), who started inside the circle, helped herself out with a run-scoring single to center that brought home Geesey to extend KU's lead to 3-1 after four.
 
The Wildcats wouldn't go away, however, scoring another run in the fifth and then took control of the game by bringing home four in the sixth as the first four batters reached base safely. A two-run, go-ahead double by the relief pitcher, Delani Sheehan, put her team in front for good 4-3. She then got six of the next seven KU batters out to finish off the game.
 
Wilmington 7, Kutztown 3
 
Just like in the opener, Wilmington came from behind to win, as it trailed 2-0 after two innings, following a Kutztown run in both the first and second. The Wildcats broke out with a three-run third to take the lead and then added two more in the fourth, before two in the seventh as insurance runs.
 
Wilmington hit three home runs off KU pitching, two of which came by Taylor Gillis, a two-run shot in the fourth and another two-run long ball in the seventh.
 
Ostaszewski had an RBI single in the first to get the scoring going for the Golden Bears and Stocklin recorded a run-scoring single in the second to put their team on top 2-0. Sara Miller then connected on a go-ahead, three-run home run in the third that gave Wilmington its first lead, one it would hold on to.
 
Stocklin, who finished with three hits, picked up her second RBI of the game on a single to center in the fourth that cut the deficit to 5-3.

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