KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- A six-run second inning sent the Kutztown University softball team on its way to a 10-2 game one PSAC East victory over Lock Haven at North Campus Field Saturday afternoon. The Bald Eagles allowed just four hits in taking game two of the doubleheader, 2-0.
GAME 1
Kutztown 10, Lock Haven 2 (6)
The Golden Bears and Bald Eagles traded runs in the first inning before two-run doubles from
Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township) and
Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) helped the hosts break it open with a six-run second.
Kutztown (22-16, 10-9 PSAC East) answered Lock Haven's run in the top of the first with an
Alexa Stevens (Covington Township, Pa./North Pocono) RBI single in the bottom half of the inning. Stocklin scored on the play after walking, stealing second and advancing to third on a
Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township) groundout.
A leadoff walk by
Brianna Hughes (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland), one of two seniors honored prior to game one, started KU's offensive onslaught in the second. With one out in the inning, six straight Golden Bears reached base, highlighted by the two-run two-baggers from Stocklin and Henn.
Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg), who singled, scored on a wild pitch and Stevens capped the inning with a single up the middle that plated Henn.
Senior
Hannah Reimel (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) and sophomore
Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) knocked in runs in the fifth to extend Kutztown's lead to 9-2, and
Kristin Geesey (Bainbridge, Pa./Elizabethtown) invoked the eight-run mercy rule with her two-out single down the right field line that scored Darnowski for the 10-2 victory in the sixth.
Gravish scattered seven hits and allowed two runs while striking out four in a complete game win. She improved to 12-8 in the circle on the season.
Stevens remained hot with the bat, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. The freshman from North Pocono extended her hitting to eight games in game one before it came to a close in game two. Stevens also enjoyed her third multi-hit performance in her last five games.
Henn was 2-for-4, while Stocklin, Darnowski and Hughes each scored a pair of runs.
Riley McClellan was 2-for-2 with a run scored for Lock Haven (11-20, 7-12 PSAC East) in defeat. Keiva Middleton took the loss with five runs allowed in 1.1 innings.
GAME 2
Lock Haven 2, Kutztown 0
Lock Haven scored a run in each of the first two innings and got a terrific pitching performance from Faith Persing to earn a split of Saturday's doubleheader.
Bella Schmitt tripled into the right field corner with one out in the top of the first to score Riley McClellan with the game's opening run. The Bald Eagles (12-20, 8-12 PSAC East) used a walk from Maci Brodzina and a sacrifice bunt to put Brodzina in scoring position and Madison Melius brought her home with a single in the second to increase the LHU lead to 2-0.
That proved to be enough for Persing, who was efficient though not overpowering. The Bald Eagle pitcher only struck out one but limited Kutztown (22-17, 10-10 PSAC East) to four hits while retiring the side in order in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings.
Back-to-back singles from
Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township) and
Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township) moved a runner into scoring position with two outs in the sixth for KU, but Persing induced an
Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) groundout to get out of the inning unscathed.
Brianna Hughes (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) doubled with two outs in the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of
Hannah Reimel (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) but a line drive rope from Reimel was snared at third by Melius to end the game.
Natalee Harvey (Swanton, Vt./Missisquoi Valley Union) fell to 9-9 on the season with the loss, giving up two runs on four hits over two innings. Gravish came on in relief and threw five scoreless frames with three strikeouts. Persing recorded the shutout on just 78 pitches.
Stocklin, Darnowski,
Kristin Geesey (Bainbridge, Pa./Elizabethtown) and Hughes each had a hit for the Maroon and Gold. Delaney Good and McClellan, LHU's 1-2 hitters, each finished 2-for-4.
UP NEXT
Kutztown is back at home Tuesday, April 16, to take on PSAC East leader and 15th-ranked East Stroudsburg in a critical league doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
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