BINGHAMPTON, N.Y. –
Alexa Stevens (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono) notched career hit No. 200 and
Morgan Kocher (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) hit a two-run home run to help Kutztown win its opening game over Slippery Rock, but KU fell to IUP in its second game Thursday to end its run at the PSAC Championships at Grand Slam Park in Binghampton, N.Y.
The Golden Bears (35-20) went 1-2 at PSACs, dropping their opening game to the East Division's fifth seed, West Chester, 9-5 on Wednesday night. They began Thursday with a 5-4 victory against the West's second seed, Slippery Rock, and then lost to the top seed from the West, IUP, 11-1 and were eliminated.
There are four teams left in the tournament. The East's second and third seeds, Shippensburg and East Stroudsburg, are both 2-0 and will meet Friday morning in the winner's bracket final to decide who will play for the PSAC title Saturday. The Golden Rams and Crimson Hawks are still alive, each having one loss, and will meet tomorrow in an elimination game.
Stevens and Kocher both finished with three hits and two RBIs to lead the lineup.
Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) and
Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) each tallied two hits and
Jenna Piatkiewicz (Fogelsville, Pa./Parkland) and
Samantha Paetow (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg) both had a hit.
Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) went 1-1 in the two games inside the circle, earning the victory in relief in game one, but started game two and ended up on the losing end. She is 23-7 on the season and is five wins shy of the program record for career wins (100).
Kutztown will now await the NCAA Selection Show on Monday morning, May 11, to see what seed it will have and where it will go for a regional pod later next week.
Kutztown 5, Slippery Rock 4
With its backs against the wall and needing a win to not only stay alive in the tournament, but at least come away with at least one victory, Kutztown answered the bell and took down Slippery Rock behind a key two-run home run by Kocher and the right arm of Gravish.
Kocher's second HR in as many days broke a 3-3 deadlock in the top of the fifth inning and proved to be the game-clinching hit. It was also just her second career long ball.
Gravish entered the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with the game tied 3-3 and the bases loaded with only one out. She struck out the next Rock hitter and then induced a pop out to center field to get out of the jam and keep her team even. Gravish threw the final 3.2 innings and allowed just one run, five hits, while striking out three.
Henn and Slomkowski both had two hits, with Slomkowski ripping a two-run single in the top of the third inning that erased a 2-1 SRU deficit and gave her team a 3-2 advantage. Stevens hit a solo home run in the first and Paetow also added a hit.
IUP 11, Kutztown 1 (5 inn.)
IUP wasted little time in jumping out in front, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning, bringing seven batters to the plate. Kutztown got one back in the bottom-half of the frame on an RBI double by Stevens to cut the deficit in half at 2-1.
That was the last run that the KU lineup was able to muster up off Crimson Hawks' starter, Kendall Young, who allowed five hits and just the one run. Her offense helped her come away with the victory in a nine-run top of the third inning where they brought 12 batters to the plate and recorded eight hits, three of which were for extra bases, including the three-run home run by Delaney Patella, which capped the game's scoring.
Stevens and Kocher combined for four of the five hits for the Maroon and Gold, and Piatkiewicz had the fifth.
