LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- After picking up a split against Millersville on Tuesday afternoon to open PSAC East play, the West Chester University softball team (14-7, 3-1) took to the road on Friday afternoon for its first Eastern Division road matchup of the season at Lock Haven (4-10, 0-2). West Chester trailed early in both games on Friday afternoon but saw its offense come to life in the middle innings of both games to sweep the doubleheader, winning game one by a 7-3 final and game two by a 14-6 final.

Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) picked up both wins in the circle, pitching a combined 7.2, scattering just eight hits and three runs, while striking out seven to improve to 6-1 on the year. West Chester hit five home runs over the course of the doubleheader as Lauryn Kane, Alexa Peterson, Tess Kearney, Meg Wolfe, and Mairead Hopkins all registered a home run in the sweep.

Game One: WCU 7 LHU 3

Lock Haven jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first after an RBI single to left plated Delaney Good, who had led off the inning with a bunt single for the Bald Eagles. The Bald Eagles continued to threaten as the first inning continued, loading the bases with just one out, but Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) escaped the jam with a pair of flyouts to keep the deficit at one.

After a scoreless second, the score remained 1-0 in favor of the Bald Eagles heading into the top of the third. Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) provided a spark with a one-out double to right center, which also turned the order over for the Golden Rams. Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) followed this up with a single, and West Chester loaded the bases moments later after Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) reached on a fielding error. Faith Persing got out of her bases-loaded jam with back-to-back strikeouts to keep the score locked at 1-0 in favor of Lock Haven heading into the home third.

In the home third, Lock Haven got runners on early once again thanks to a leadoff double and an error before Bella Schmitt worked a walk to load the bases with no outs in the inning. A sac fly to left gave West Chester its first out of the inning but also increased the Bald Eagle lead to 2-0. Edwards did well to ensure this was all that the Bald Eagles would get, however, as she got her next two outs quickly to escape her second bases-loaded jam of the afternoon.

West Chester wasted no time in tying the score in the top of the fourth as Lauryn Kane (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) started the inning with a double to right before Alexa Peterson (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) crushed a two-run home run to tie things up at 2-2. Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) followed this up with a solo home run of her own just two batters later, giving West Chester a 3-2 lead over Lock Haven. Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) extended the lead to 5-2 with a bases-clearing, two-out double, ending Persing's day
in the circle. Kinley Gioglio entered in relief and escaped the inning without any further damage, keeping the deficit at 5-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth.

After Gioglio's escape, Persing ended her afternoon with a final 3.2 innings pitched, allowing five runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out three.

West Chester loaded the bases again in the fifth, but Gioglio escaped the jam with a line drive off the bat of Madison Melvin to keep the deficit right where it was at 5-2. The Bald Eagles cut the deficit to two in the home fifth with a one-out solo shot off the bat of Hailey Irwin, who had also singled in the first run of the game back in the home first. Schmitt followed this up with a single up the middle, which ended Edward's day in the circle as Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) entered in relief.

Ciliberto quickly worked out of the inning, keeping a two-run lead intact and closing out Edward's day with a final line of 4.1 innings pitched, allowing three runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out a pair.

In the top of the sixth, Kane extended the lead to 7-2 with a two-out home run to left center, plating Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin), who had kept the inning alive with a hard-hit single up the middle. Lock Haven escaped the inning without any further damage and worked a scoreless seventh, but Ciliberto was sharp in relief for West Chester, working a 1,2,3 sixth and another 1,2,3 seventh, including a pair of strikeouts to pick up the save.

Edwards earned the game one victory, her fifth (5-1) of the year, while Ciliberto earned her second save of the season after entering a two-run game and pitching the final 2.2 with a pair of strikeouts.

Game Two: WCU 14 LHU 6

After two-and-a-half scoreless innings to open the game, Ciliberto found her first trouble of the afternoon in the third as Maci Brodzina reached on a leadoff error and was followed by a single and a walk to help Lock Haven load the bases with no outs. Ciliberto got her first out on a fielders choice at the plate on a nice throw from Kane. With one away, Summer Peters turned around the 0-1 pitch from Ciliberto, coming away with a bases-clearing double to straightaway centerfield, giving the hosts a 3-0 lead with one out in the frame. Lock Haven stretched its lead to 4-0 before West Chester escaped the inning, tacking on its fourth run via an RBI groundout to second for what was the second out of the inning.

In the top of the fourth, Meg Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) cut the deficit to just one with a three-run shot to left field, which scored Kane and Hopkins, making the score 4-3 heading into the home fourth.

Lock Haven tacked on two more runs in the home fourth, using a bunt single and a sac fly to extend its lead to 6-3 heading into the fifth.

West Chester continued its comeback in the fifth, as Hopkins hit a solo home run to left center, trimming the Lock Haven lead to 6-4.

In the sixth, West Chester exploded for four runs thanks to an RBI single by Madison Melvin and a bases-clearing, three-RBI triple by Aguilar, which gave the Golden Rams an 8-6 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.

West Chester added six more runs to its lead in the seventh courtesy of RBI singles from Rittenbaugh, Kearney, Kane, and Hopkins, along with Aguilar, who found herself hit by a pitch. With a 14-6 lead heading into the home seventh, West Chester made short work of Lock Haven, working around a one-out walk and ending the game with a pair of strikeouts to secure the game-two victory.

Ciliberto finished her day in the fourth inning, finishing with a final line of 3.2 innings pitched, scattering eight hits and six runs (three earned) while walking two and striking out a pair. Edwards entered in relief and was dominant to earn her second victory of the day, holding Lock Haven hitless and allowing just one walk while striking out five in her 3.1 innings of work.

Madison Waltman suffered the loss in game two, lasting just 1.2 innings, allowing five runs on five hits as she was one of five pitchers Lock Haven turned to in the nightcap.

Up Next:

West Chester will return to action on Monday afternoon at Mansfield at 1:30 p.m.