EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Kutztown tied a season-high with 12 hits and avoided a road sweep as it defeated East Stroudsburg 6-4 in game two Tuesday afternoon after falling in the opener 1-0 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division doubleheader at Creekview Park.
 
The Golden Bears (12-10 overall, 3-1 PSAC East) had just two hits in game one, but responded in a big way offensively, and also got two quality starts from Amanda Slabicki (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) and Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg), with Gravish earning the game two victory.
 
Morgan Kocher (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) had a three-hit day, going 2-for-4 with a run scored in game two and coming up with one of KU's two hits in the opener. Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley), Alexa Stevens (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono), Caitlin Ashley (Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford), Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) and Ashley Schulz (Oreland, Pa./Springfield) all finished with two hits, with Henn adding two RBIs and each of Ashley, Stevens and Schulz had one.
 
Gravish struck out five in a complete game win and Slabicki threw all six innings in game one, allowing just an unearned run.
 
Kutztown will have back-to-back doubleheaders on the road this weekend. First up is a trip to Bloomsburg on Friday with game one set to start at 2 p.m. Then KU is at Lock Haven Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m.
 
East Stroudsburg 1, Kutztown 0
 
The Kutztown lineup had a tough time against East Stroudsburg starting pitcher Sarah Davenport. KU finished with just two hits and struck out nine times. Davenport is tied for second in the PSAC in wins (8), leads the conference in strikeouts (111) and is fourth in earned run average (1.58).
 
The Golden Bears' first hit was a double to right center by Ashley in the top of the fifth. They ended up having runners at first and second with nobody out after a Schulz walk and then had runners at second and third with one out, but were unable to get on the scoreboard. The second hit was a single by Kocher in the sixth.
 
The Warriors scored the lone run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning after a one out triple by Megan Chroniger was brought home by a Kutztown throwing error from the outfield the next batter.
 
This week's PSAC East Pitcher of the Week, Slabicki, had another good outing, going the distance, allowing six hits and striking out four, giving up the unearned run in six innings of work.
 
Kutztown 6, East Stroudsburg 4
 
The bats came alive in the second game as Kutztown was able to avoid the sweep, finishing with 12 hits, outhitting East Stroudsburg 12-8 overall.
 
Five Golden Bears finished with two hit games, including Henn, Kocher, Stevens, Slomkowski and Schulz. Slomkowski joined the triple parade on the season with her first, tying three others with a three-bagger on the year.
 
After a scoreless first inning, KU broke its scoreless streak on the day with a two-run top of the second inning off a Warriors' error and a Henn RBI double. ESU cut its deficit in half with a run in the bottom-half of the frame on a sacrifice fly. In the fourth, Henn once again hit a run-scoring double and then in the fifth, Schulz contributed an RBI single to push the lead to 4-1.
 
The game-clinching inning came in the sixth when the Maroon and Gold added two important insurance runs on two RBI doubles by Stevens and Ashley for the 6-1 lead.
 
Gravish ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth inning, allowing three runs and four hits, but was able to close the door in the end for the complete game victory.

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