SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – It was a different story in each game Friday afternoon in Shepherdstown, W.Va., as host Shepherd downed Kutztown in a 1-0, 10-inning pitching duel, but then KU answered with an 11-2 mercy rule victory in five innings in game two to salvage a split in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division doubleheader.
 
The Golden Bears improved to 31-17 overall and 20-8 in the PSAC East. With the game two win, the Maroon and Gold clinched a spot in the PSAC Tournament, which begins Wednesday, May 6, in Binghampton, N.Y.
 
Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley), Alexa Stevens (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono), Samantha Paetow (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg) and Parker Kraus (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) all finished with two hits on the day, with Stevens adding four RBIs and scoring two runs, Henn scoring two runs and contributing an RBI, Kraus earning an RBI and getting three runs scored and Paetow had a run scored and an RBI. Jamie Madara (Levittown, Pa./Academy of the New Church) recorded a hit and Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) and Sophia Collins (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) both tallied a hit and an RBI, while Taylor Gearhart (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) had a hit and scored a run. Ashley Schulz (Oreland, Pa./Springfield) touched home once in game two.
 
Inside the circle, Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) threw a complete game in game two, throwing five strong innings, allowing five hits and two runs, while striking out four to improve to 20-6 on the season, tied for the most wins in the PSAC. Amanda Slabicki (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) started game one and threw all 9.1 innings, with nine innings of shutout ball until the Rams (20-20, 15-13) finally got to her in the bottom of the 10th, when the runner automatically starts the inning at second base and Shepherd hit her home on a single two batters later.
 
Henn, Paetow and Madara each had a hit against Shepherd ace, Madelayne Ruffner, who once again, foiled the KU lineup and threw a shutout.
 
In the nightcap, the Golden Bears got right to work in the batter's box and scored two runs in the top of the first, five in the second and four more in the third to take the 11-1 lead after three innings. In the first, Paetow got the scoring going with an RBI groundout, followed by a run-scoring double from Slomkowski. In the second, in three straight at-bats, Henn hit an RBI single, Kraus doubled in a run and then Stevens added a run on a single. In the third, Collins singled in a run and then Stevens had the big knock of the game, a three-run home run, her seventh of the season and third in the last three doubleheaders.
 
With the West Chester games getting moved from tomorrow to yesterday, Kutztown will have a week off before the next time it takes to the diamond. KU welcomes Millersville to North Campus Field for the final home games of the regular season next Friday, May 1, with game one beginning at 1 p.m.
 
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