KUTZTOWN, Pa. – No. 16 Kutztown softball responded after a sweep in its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference games of the 2025 regular season on Tuesday to nationally ranked East Stroudsburg by taking both games of a Friday afternoon doubleheader at North Campus Field against Mansfield, by scores of 5-2 and 3-2.
 
The Golden Bears (18-5 overall, 2-2 PSAC East) evened their record in conference play and took some much-needed positive momentum back after dropping three in-a-row.
 
Alexa Stevens (Covington Township, Pa./North Pocono) led the offense with four hits, three RBIs and two runs scored. Sarah Harvat (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) recorded three hits and two RBIs. Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) had two hits and scored two runs.
 
Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) started the opener and threw a complete game for the win, while Amanda Slabicki (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) came on in relief in the top of the first inning and threw 6.2 innings for the victory.
 
Kutztown has the rest of the weekend off and will next hit the road for its first PSAC contests away from North Campus Field when KU takes on defending PSAC champion, West Chester, on Tuesday, March 25, with game one beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Kutztown 5, Mansfield 2
 
Kutztown had a three-run bottom of the fifth inning to break a 2-2 tie and earn its first conference victory of the 2025 regular season.
 
KU went out on top 1-0 on a Harvat RBI single, but then the Mounties (3-8, 1-2) took the lead with two runs in the top of the fourth inning. But the Maroon and Gold quickly answered and once again via the bat of the catcher, Harvat, as the senior singled to right field to tie the game at 2-2.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Stevens delivered the big hit, the go-ahead, two-run double for the 4-2 advantage. Samantha Paetow (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg) tacked on an insurance run with an RBI groundout.
 
Gravish struck out eight batters and allowed just the two runs on five hits to win her ninth of the season.
 
Kutztown 3, Mansfield 2
 
Both teams scored twice in their first at-bats as Mansfield recorded three hits, including a run-scoring triple, and were also aided by a Kutztown error to go up 2-0. KU answered with an RBI single from Stevens that brought around Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township), who led off the frame with a single. Henn scored on a wild pitch two batters later to tie the score 2-2.
 
After three scoreless innings, the Golden Bears broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fifth. They loaded the bases on walks by Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township) and Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) and a single by Stevens, then Paetow came through with an RBI groundout and a 3-2 advantage.
 
Slabicki entered the game with one out in the top of the first inning and threw the rest of the way, remaining perfect on the season at 4-0.

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