MILLERSVILLE, Pa.- The West Chester University softball team (26-15, 14-8) continued its second trip through PSAC East play on Tuesday afternoon with a visit to local rival Millersville (20-19, 11-11). West Chester used a pair of late-game offensive outbursts to sweep the doubleheader from Millersville, winning game one by a 9-6 final before capturing the nightcap by a 9-7 final.

Game One: WCU 9 Millersville 6

Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) got West Chester on the board early with aggressive baserunning, before Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) 's two-run home run gave the guests an early 3-0 lead.

Millersville countered with a solo shot of its own in the home half of the first, cutting the Golden Ram lead to 3-1. The Marauders scored five runs in the third to take a 6-3 lead over the Golden Rams and prompt a pitching change by head coach Diane Lokey as Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) (14-7)  entered in relief of Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton).

West Chester used a four-run fifth inning to retake the lead. A fielder's choice by Melvin plated Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) before scoring on a wild pitch, cutting the deficit to 6-5. Paige Marabell (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) worked a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 6-6 before a Casey Best (Wilmington, Del./Concord) sac fly gave the Golden Rams a 7-6 lead.

Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) extended the lead with an RBI triple in the sixth, which plated Melvin before scoring on an RBI single off the bat of Hailey Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) as the Golden Rams earned the 9-6 victory.

Edwards earned the start and allowed three runs on two hits and a pair of walks in two innings of work, while Ciliberto eventually picked up the victory after working the next five innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out a pair.

Morgan Crutcher took the loss for Millersville, allowing two runs on three hits and a pair of walks in 1.1 innings of work in relief of Alex Schaefer, who worked the first 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs on six hits while walking three and striking out three.

Game Two: WCU 9 Millersville 7

West Chester also got out to an early lead in game two, using a two-RBI single from Hailey Melvin to plate the first runs of the game before scoring a throwing error later in the frame. The Purple and Gold took a three-run lead into the home first.

Aguilar extended the lead in the second with another RBI single, which scored Melvin and gave West Chester an early 4-0 advantage.

Millersville cut into the West Chester lead in the second with a three-run home run as the Golden Rams saw their lead shrink to just one heading into the third.

Aguilar continued her big day in the fourth with a solo home run, which extended the lead back to 5-3. West Chester continued to threaten with two outs in the fourth, getting back-to-back singles, which led to a pitching change for the Marauders. Schaefer, the game-one starter, returned and escaped the jam with a quick strikeout to keep the deficit at two.

Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) doubled the lead with one swing in the fifth as she launched a two-run home run of her own to give the Golden Rams a 7-3 advantage.

In the home fifth, Millersville got a run back with an RBI double and continued to threaten immediately thereafter, which led to Ciliberto entering in relief of Mary Picozzi (Collegeville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) with two outs in the frame. The Marauders followed this up with an RBI single, which cut the Golden Ram advantage to 7-5. Ciliberto escaped the jam moments later to keep a two-run lead intact heading to the sixth.

Picozzi allowed five runs on six hits while striking out in 4.1 innings of work in the no-decision.

In the bottom of the sixth, Millersville scratched across a pair of runs to tie the game at 7-7 heading into the seventh.

With one out in the seventh, Kaitlyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) restored the West Chester lead with an RBI double before scoring an error, which gave the Golden Rams a 9-7 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.

Ciliberto got her final three outs in short order to pick up her 15^th (15-7) win of the season.

Ciliberto pitched 2.1 innings in relief in the nightcap, scattering three hits and two unearned runs while striking out one to earn her second victory of the afternoon and help West Chester to a series victory over the Marauders.

Schaefer (9-8) took the loss in relief, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits while striking out three in 3.1 innings of work to end the game. Schaefer was one of three arms Millersville turned to in game two as  Nicolina Pezzone earned the start and lasted just 1.1, allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits while walking three, while Angelina Saverase allowed one run on five hits in 2.1 innings of work.

Up Next:

West Chester returns to action this weekend with visits to East Stroudsburg and Bloomsburg on the docket.