PEMBROKE, N.C. – Sophomore catcher Samantha Paetow (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg) ripped a game-winning double with her team down by one in the bottom of the seventh inning as 16th-ranked Kutztown finished the UNC Pembroke Invitational with a 4-3 victory over Felician Sunday morning in Pembroke, N.C.
 
Paetow stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs, and her team down by one run. Every player's dream scenario. And she came through in the clutch in a 2-2 count, doubling to center field, allowing Parker Kraus (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) to score the tying run and Morgan Kocher (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) to touch home plate as the winning run.
 
The Golden Bears (3-1 overall) opened the 2026 season winning three of their four games at Pembroke, the lone defeat coming at the hands of the same Golden Falcons team, 6-4, just two days prior. KU also beat the host Braves on Friday and took down Chowan on Saturday.
 
After two scoreless innings to begin the game, the Maroon and Gold got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the third inning thanks to an RBI double to left center field by Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East), scoring Kocher. The senior third baseman has at least one RBI in the first four games, totaling six.
 
Kutztown would hold the 1-0 edge until the top of the fifth inning when Felician led off with a triple and scored its first run two batters later on a single to tie the score.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, the Golden Bears would retake the lead on an RBI double by freshman first baseman Ashley Schulz (Oreland, Pa./Springfield). But the 2-1 advantage wouldn't last long, however, as the Golden Falcons took their first lead of the game with two runs in the top of the seventh inning to go ahead 3-2.
 
But in the bottom-half of the frame, KU would not be denied the revenge win. It wasn't easy, however. Jamie Madara (Levittown, Pa./Academy of the New Church) led off with a single, but Felician induced a double play the next batter. With two outs, Kraus singled, Kocher walked and then Slomkowski was hit by a pitch. Paetow then stepped up and came through in the clutch with two strikes to allow her team to celebrate.
 
Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) recorded her second win in as many starts to open 2026. She threw a complete game and struck out three, moving into third all-time in program history in career strikeouts with 443.
 
Kutztown will have two weeks off and next be back in action at the Francis Marion Patriot Invitational Feb. 21-22, in Florence, S.C. The two teams KU will take on include the host Patriots and Flagler.

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