WILSON, N.C. – Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) recorded her first shutout of the season as she threw a complete game, three-hitter in a 6-0 win at Barton. The host Bulldogs, however, responded with an 8-0 victory in five innings in game two Monday afternoon to open up Kutztown's annual trip down south.
 
The Golden Bears (4-4 overall) made a stop in Wilson, N.C., before playing its next eight games in Florida over the course of the next week.
 
KU finished with 12 hits on the day, 10 of them coming in the opener. Caitlin Ashley (Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford) and Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) both hit home runs and each finished with two hits to headline the Maroon and Gold bats Monday, Henn's being a three-run shot. Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East), Jamie Madara (Levittown, Pa./Academy of the New Church) and Ashley Schulz (Oreland, Pa./Springfield) also had two hits, with Slomkowski contributing two RBIs and Madara scoring two runs. Samantha Paetow (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg) and Alexa Stevens (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono) both added a hit.
 
Gravish threw all seven innings, allowing just three hits, while walking none. She is 3-1 on the season and earned her first shutout of 2026, the 15th of her career, tying her for seventh all-time in program history. Her 69 complete games and 75 victories are both second in program lore.
 
Kutztown will next head further south to play eight games in a span of six days in Florida. First up, KU will take on Palm Beach Atlantic for a double header Wednesday evening with game one beginning at 4 p.m.
 
Kutztown 6, Barton 0
 
A pair of long balls set the tone for the Kutztown lineup as Ashley led off the top of the third inning of a scoreless game and connected on her first HR of the season and second of her career to break the deadlock. Two innings later, Henn stepped up with two on and two out and delivered a clutch blast over the left field fence for a 4-0 KU advantage.
 
The Maroon and Gold added some insurance in the top of the seventh. Madara walked to lead off the frame and then Henn followed that up with a base hit to left. Parker Kraus (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) advanced the runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt and then Morgan Kocher (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) walked to load the bases. Slomkowski then ripped a single to left field that brought home Madara and Henn to push the lead to 6-0.
 
Gravish finished off the complete game shutout, but had to get out of some trouble in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Bulldogs put runners on first and second with just one out, but the graduate student recorded the next two outs, via pop outs, to seal the game one victory. Two of Barton's three hits came in its last at-bats.
 
Henn, Slomkowski and Madara all had two hits, with Henn adding three RBIs and scoring two runs and Slomkowski contributing two RBIs. Madara also scored two runs. Paetow, Stevens and Schulz joined Ashley with a hit each as the Golden Bears finished with a 10-3 edge in hits.
 
Barton 8, Kutztown 0 (5 inn.)
 
As much as the Kutztown bats were alive in the opener, they were not as loud in the nightcap as Barton slugged its way to a win and split the day, outhitting KU 13-2.
 
The Bulldogs (7-9) scored in all but one of the five innings. They went out ahead early, scoring six runs in the first two innings, highlighted by a four-run, bottom of the second. Barton walked it off in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI double with runners on first and second two outs to put the game into the mercy rule and end it early.
 
Schulz and Ashley each had a hit in the game for the Golden Bears.

  Read Full Article