Box Score 1 | Box Score 2



MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Kutztown softball won both of its games Saturday to conclude the Mount Olive Tournament and in doing so extended its win streak to nine in-a-row, tying the best start to a season since 2002.
 
The Golden Bears (9-0 overall) lineup showed up once again as they combined for 26 runs, defeating host Mount Olive 14-7 in game one and then beating Winston-Salem State 12-2 in five innings in game two.
 
Freshman Samantha Paetow (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg) finished 6-for-7 at the plate on the day with four RBIs and a run scored. Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) ended 6-for-8 with five runs scored and two RBIs. Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township) went 5-for-7 with seven RBIs and two runs scored, and hit a home run in each game. Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) was 4-for-5 with five runs and two RBIs. Sarah Harvat (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) had three hits and four RBIs.
 
Abbey Wagner (Quakertown, Pa./Qaukertown) pitched five innings of relief in the opener and earned the victory. Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) threw a complete game, four-hitter in the nightcap, striking out four to improve to 5-0 on the season.
 
Kutztown is scheduled to make its home debut in its next time out on the field next Saturday, Feb. 22, against Jefferson with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m., from North Campus Field.
 
Kutztown 14, Mount Olive 7
 
Kutztown scored in all but one inning as it jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. KU needed to score early and often because Mount Olive was doing the same thing. The two teams combined to score 12 runs in the first two innings alone with the Golden Bears recording four in the top of the first and three in the second, while the Trojans added three in the bottom of the first inning and two in the second.
 
But from that point, Kutztown continued to add to its total, while holding Mount Olive in check for the most part the rest of the way, allowing just two more runs in the final five innings, where KU tacked on two in the third, three in the fourth, one in the fifth and one in the seventh.
 
Henn, Darnowski and Slomkowsi all connected on long balls, the latter two in back-to-back games against the Trojans. Darnowski tied the team-lead with three RBIs, joining Harvat. Slomkowsi also doubled and finished with two RBIs and scored three runs. Paetow joined Slomkowsi with three hits and an RBI. Alexa Stevens (Covington Township, Pa./North Pocono), Jenna Piatkiewicz (Fogelsville, Pa./Parkland) and Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township) all added an RBI.
 
Wagner came on in relief in the bottom of the first inning and finished with five innings thrown, collecting her second victory of the season.
 
Kutztown 12, Winston-Salem State 2 (5 inn.)
 
Just as it did in the opener, Kutztown attacked from the get-go, bringing home five runs in the top of the first inning and then added three more in the second to jump out to an 8-0 lead.
 
Darnowski's second HR of the day, a two-run shot, got the scoring going. A Paetow double and Harvat triple brought two more runners home before Taylor Gearhart (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) recorded her first hit of the day, an RBI single for a 5-0 advantage. The clinic continued through the next two innings as Darnowski and Paetow added run-scoring singles in both the second and third as the lead mounted to 10-1. Gearhart then recorded her season-best second RBI with a single in the fourth and Piatkiewicz rounded out scoring, picking up an RBI on a groundout.
 
Gravish kept the Rams at bay for the most of the game, giving up just two runs and four hits, striking out four. She is now tied for the conference lead in victories.