SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Kutztown softball headed into Saturday needing just one win out of the two at Shippensburg to secure the PSAC East top overall seed for next week's tournament. After a tough game one, KU bounced back and took game two to secure the East.
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The Golden Bears were blitzed in the opener as the Raiders mashed four home runs and tallied 17 hits to win 13-5 in six innings. But the Maroon and Gold responded when they needed to and were 6-2 victors in the nightcap to finish the regular season with a 34-18 overall record and 23-9 mark in the conference. It's the most PSAC wins in a season since 2021 when they also went 23-9.
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The Kutztown lineup combined for 17 hits on the day, led by four from
Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley), who now has 81 on the year, the most in the PSAC. She also scored four runs and now has 55 runs scored this season, second-most in the conference. Henn had another triple, her sixth of the season.
Samantha Paetow (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg) and
Morgan Kocher (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) both finished with three hits with Paetow adding three RBIs and Kocher scoring two runs.
Alexa Stevens (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono) and
Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) each tallied two hits and hit a home run, Slomkowski's a grand slam in the first game and Stevens' a two-run shot in game two.
Taylor Gearhart (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) also had two hits, including a triple.
Jenna Piatkiewicz (Fogelsville, Pa./Parkland) notched a hit in the second game.
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Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) started game two and threw a complete game, allowing just two runs to earn her 22nd win on the season, second-most in the PSAC behind game one winner for Ship, Dani Hayward, who has 23. Gravish is also just six victories away from the program record for wins in a season.
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The PSAC Tournament from Grand Slam Park in Binghampton, N.Y., begins next Wednesday, May 6, and runs through Saturday, May 9. Kutztown is the top seed out of the East and will play its first game on Wednesday, game five, at 3 p.m., against the winner of West Chester (East #5) vs. California (West #4).
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