KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown softball could not muster up a hit in game one, but in game two the lineup tied its season-high in runs scored this season as KU and Shepherd went 1-1 in Tuesday's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division doubleheader at North Campus Field.
The Golden Bears (23-15 overall, 12-6 PSAC East) lost game one 2-0, but bounced back to take game two 11-1 in five innings.
Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) had three hits on the day, including a home run, scored three runs and tallied two RBIs. She leads the PSAC with 59 hits.
Alexa Stevens (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono),
Taylor Gearhart (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) and
Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) all had two hits, and recorded four RBIs, two RBIs and one RBI, respectively.
Morgan Kocher (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) finished with a hit and scored two runs.
Samantha Paetow (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg) and
Ashley Schulz (Oreland, Pa./Springfield) both had a run scored and Jaime Madara contributed an RBI.
Inside the circle,
Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) started game two and threw the complete game, allowing just two hits with an unearned run to earn win No. 15 on the season, tied for the most in the conference.
Kutztown continues its home stand with a doubleheader against Bloomsburg this Friday, April 17, beginning at 2 p.m.
Shepherd 2, Kutztown 0
This was all the left arm of Madelayne Ruffner. The lanky lefty threw 81 pitches and recorded 27 outs out of 28 batters, allowing zero hits. She struck out 14 batters.
The only Golden Bear to get on base was Slomkowski, who led off the bottom of the second inning and reached base safely due to a throwing error by Shepherd's third baseman. The senior made it all the way to third base as the ball got away on the throw, but Ruffner struck out the side from that point to leave Slomkowski stranded.
The Rams got on the scoreboard with two runs in the top of the sixth inning. The inning featured two singles, a double and a KU error.
Kutztown 11, Shepherd 1 (5 inn.)
After not recording a hit in the opener, Kutztown went for 10 in the night cap.
Henn was 3-for-3 from the leadoff spot and was once again the engine to the lineup. She reached base safely all four at-bats, including a walk. Her first three times she was on base, she scored and got the scoring going for her team from the get-go, hitting a solo HR in the first at-bat of the bottom of the first inning for the Golden Bears to tie the score at 1-1 after Shepherd scored an unearned run in the top of the first.
The junior then came up big in the bottom of the second, connecting on a two-double to score Gearhart and give KU the lead for good. After a Kocher walk, Stevens tripled to bring both runners home. Then a couple of walks by Rams pitching and a two-out, two-run single by Gearhart capped a seven-run inning.
Stevens added her second triple of the game in the third that brought home both Henn and Kocher and then Slomkowski singled in Stevens to round out the scoring and bring in run No. 11 for the Maroon and Gold.
Gravish struck out two and walked three, but did enough and didn't allow an earned run.
