MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – No. 25 Kutztown softball won an extra-inning game over previously undefeated Winston-Salem State in the opener and then rallied from down five runs to beat host Mount Olive Friday afternoon in the first day of the two-day Mount Olive Tournament.
 
KU won 3-2 in eight innings in game one against the Rams and had a 7-5 victory in game two over the host Trojans.
 
The Golden Bears (7-0 overall) are off to their best start to a season since the beginning of the 2012 campaign when they won their first eight games.
 
Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township), Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley), Leanna Schenk (Roslyn, Pa./Abington) and Sarah Harvat (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) all finished with two hits on the day, with Henn grabbing the headline of the opener with her two RBIs, including the game-winning double. Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township), Alexa Stevens (Covington Township, Pa./North Pocono), Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East), Samantha Paetow (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg) and Harvat all had an RBI on the day, with the first three Golden Bears connecting on solo home runs.
 
Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) was the winner in the circle of both games Friday, coming on in relief in the opener and starting and throwing a complete game in the nightcap to improve to 4-0 on the season.
 
The second and final day of the Mount Olive Tournament is set for tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 15. Kutztown will first take on Winston-Salem State at 10 a.m., followed by a game against Mount Olive at 12:30 p.m., before heading home.
 
Kutztown 3, Winston-Salem State 2 (8 inn.)
 
Henn was the hero of this one as the sophomore outfielder brought in Kutztown's first run and last run, the game-winner in the bottom of the eighth inning, to allow KU to walk-it-off with the victory.
 
Henn singled home Stocklin, who led off the game with a walk, two batters later in the bottom of the first inning. The duo was at it again in extras as Stocklin started off on second base to open the eighth and then advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Darnowski. Henn took the next pitch and ripped a double to left center that allowed Stocklin to walk home for the game-winning run.
 
After the Rams got on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the fifth to tie the score at 1-1, Paetow followed back-to-back walks by Stevens and Slomkowski with a single down the left field line to put her team right back in the lead at 2-1 in the sixth. WSSU was down to its final out with nobody on after Stocklin and Darnowski teamed up for a double play, but a walk, preceded by a double tied the score back up at 2-2 heading into extra innings.
 
It didn't take long for the Golden Bears to get off the field as winners as Darnowski and Henn tag-teamed getting Stocklin home.
 
Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) pitched the top of the eighth inning in relief and wound up earning the victory with a shutout inning to her name, along with two strikeouts.
 
Like Henn, Leanna Schenk (Roslyn, Pa./Abington) also recorded two hits, including a double.
 
Kutztown 7, Mount Olive 5
 
For the first time all season it looked as if the Maroon and Gold may have found their match. Mount Olive scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning and the hosts were looking to secure a victory on its home field.
 
But Kutztown had a different idea and proved its ranking on the national stage by fighting back to score seven unanswered runs in the next three frames to complete the comeback.
 
The rally started with a solo home run from Darnowski in the top of the third inning, her first of the season. Then in the fourth, Stevens and Slomkowski connected on back-to-back long balls to begin the frame to cut the deficit to 5-3. Paetow followed with a walk and was pinch run for by Taylor Gearhart (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North), who came around to score after two straight singles from Harvat and Jenna Piatkiewicz (Fogelsville, Pa./Parkland) to pull within one run. KU took its first lead of the contest on a Trojans' fielding error by the shortstop that allowed two runs to score and a 6-5 lead for Kutztown.
 
Harvat doubled in Slomkowski in the top of the fifth inning to round out the scoring.
 
Gravish threw all seven innings and struck out six batters.

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