WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Kutztown softball broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth inning with two runs to win game one 3-2 in eight innings, but dropped the second game 7-0 to begin its time in Florida Wednesday evening at Palm Beach Atlantic.
 
The Golden Bears (5-5 overall) are now 2-2 on their southern trip so far.
 
Parker Kraus (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) finished 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Morgan Kocher (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) tallied two hits, both coming in game two, and added an RBI in the opener. Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley), Grace Kindel (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic), Samantha Paetow (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg) and Alexa Stevens (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono) all had one hit.
 
Inside the circle, Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) came on in relief in both games, but picked up the victory in the opener, entering in the bottom of the fifth inning in a 1-1 tie and threw the remaining 3.2 innings, allowing just three hits and one run to earn her fourth win of the season.
 
Kutztown has a quick turnaround and will be back out on the diamond in just about 16 hours for two games at Lynn University beginning at noon.
 
Kutztown 3, Palm Beach Atlantic 2 (8 inn.)
 
Henn led off the game with an infield single and then advanced to second after the ball got away from the first baseman. Kraus sacrificed Henn to third with a bunt the next batter and then Henn came around for the game's first run on a sacrifice fly by Kocher.
 
Palm Beach Atlantic got on the scoreboard via a run-scoring double in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score at 1-1.
 
Three scoreless innings later the game went into extra innings. The Golden Bears wasted little time in the top of the eighth. Ashley Schulz (Oreland, Pa./Springfield) was the runner placed on second base to begin the frame. Stevens singled via a bunt to put runners at first and third with nobody out. Three batters later with two outs and runners at second and third, Kraus doubled in two runs to give her team the 3-1 advantage. The Sailfish answered with a run in the bottom-half of the frame and put the tying run and second and winning at the plate, but Gravish, who entered the game in the bottom of the fifth and recorded 3.2 innings to pick up the victory.
 
Henn, Kindel, Kraus, Paetow and Stevens all finished with one hit.
 
Palm Beach Atlantic 7, Kutztown 0
 
PBA hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. That was all the offense it would need as three different pitchers shutout Kutztown and allowed just four hits.
 
The Sailfish added a run in both the third and fifth innings and then tacked on two more insurance runs in the sixth to finish off the victory.
 
Kraus and Kocher each had two hits for the Maroon and Gold.

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