QUAKERTOWN, Pa.- For the first time since 2021 and the third time in program history, head coach Diane Lokey and the West Chester University softball team (34-20) are PSAC Champions after defeating East Stroudsburg (45-15) 11-7 in a thrilling, back-and-forth affair on Saturday afternoon in Quakertown.

PSAC CHAMPIONS! @WestChesterSB posts an 11-7 victory over ESU to win its third title! pic.twitter.com/bbFICSCety

— West Chester Golden Rams (@WCUAthletics) May 4, 2024

"This team has been working so hard and fighting, and I'm just so excited for them," opened a joyful head coach Diane Lokey. "They've answered the call all week, and today was no different. This is a microcosm of how our entire season has gone. We've fought all year long, and sometimes we have come out on the short end, but this team has no quit, and I'm very proud of them."

Today's victory, which reached its conclusion right as rainfall forecast for the afternoon intensified, allowed West Chester to complete its second unbeaten run through Quakertown since 2010 as the 2024 Golden Rams join the 2017 squad as the other team to go 4-0 en route to the PSAC Tournament crown.

Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) earned Tournament MVP honors after going a perfect 4-0 in the circle this week, including another complete-game victory on Saturday, while also hitting a pair of home runs (Wednesday vs Seton Hill; Friday vs Kutztown). On Saturday, Ciliberto went the distance in the circle again, allowing seven runs on eight hits while striking out five to pick up her 21^st victory of the year.

"It feels great to get another win, especially like this," Ciliberto opened. "Like it has been all week, today was a total team effort. I'm so proud of this group, especially the fight we showed to come back from the early deficit and earn this championship."

Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) also had a Tournament to remember, mashing five home runs, including a pair in the Championship game on Saturday to help guide the Golden Rams to the PSAC crown.

When asked about her two-home run afternoon, Hopkins said, "I stayed in the attack mode I was in all week. The whole team brought it all week, and today was no different, so I'm very proud of this entire group."

West Chester found itself behind early on Saturday but never wavered, using a two-out rally in the fourth, which saw the Golden Rams score four runs to take a 7-5 lead into the fifth. This lead seemed as if it might be enough for West Chester to bring home its third PSAC Tournament crown, but East Stroudsburg was as resilient as ever, battling back to tie the score at 7-7. Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) had perhaps the biggest hit of the day to start the home sixth, blasting a solo shot over the center field fence to give the Golden Rams an 8-7 lead they would never relinquish.

East Stroudsburg jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first after loading the bases and scoring its first run via a hit-by-pitch before a grand slam off the bat of Denva Shaw-Tait gave the Warriors the early advantage.

West Chester countered quickly in the home first as Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) worked a walk and scored moments later on Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) fourth home run of the Tournament, cutting the deficit to 5-2.

East Stroudsburg threatened to extend its lead in the top of the second, but Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) worked out of the jam well, keeping the deficit right where it was heading into the second.

In the home second, Paige Marabell (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) nearly cut the deficit to 5-3 with a solo shot to left field, but East Stroudsburg left fielder Abigail Weirich used every bit of space in left to come up with the catch and keep the lead at three.

Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) laced a one-out single up the middle early in the third and moved to second on a wild pitch with just one out in the inning. This allowed her to score on an RBI single up the middle by Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove), cutting the ESU lead to 5-3. Aguilar kept the line moving with a bouncing single through the left side of the infield. The Warriors escaped the inning without any further damage, getting a big second out via a rare strikeout of Hopkins and a fly out off the bat off Casey Best (Wilmington, Del./Concord) to maintain a 5-3 lead into the fourth.

After two quick outs to begin the home fourth, West Chester got a two-out baserunner with a single to left from Ciliberto.  Looking for a two-out spark, Lokey turned to her bench and summoned fifth-year Alexa Peterson (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) to pinch-hit for Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North). This move paid dividends immediately as Peterson drove the first she saw over the right-center field fence to tie the game at 5-5 in the fourth.

"Alexa has been huge for us all year both as a pinch hitter and at first base," said Lokey when asked about Peterson's clutch pinch-hit home run. "That was a massive momentum shift for us, so I'm thrilled she had that moment."

With the game tied and a renewed energy, Melvin kept the inning going with a single up the middle, bringing Rittenbaugh back to the plate as the graduate student looked to continue her big week. Rittenbaugh followed this up with a double down the left-field line, giving the Golden Rams runners on second and third with two away. Aguilar kept the pressure on with a line-drive single to left, which gave West Chester a 6-5 lead and closed the book on Sarah Davenport, who exited after allowing a season-high six runs. Hopkins continued her massive PSAC Tournament with a hard-hit single to third base, scoring another run and stretching the Golden Ram lead to 7-5.

Today's outing marked just the third time this season that Davenport has allowed five or more runs and the second time this week, with both occurrences coming against the Golden Rams. Before this, Davenport had only allowed five runs or more once, with that occurrence coming on February 11 at Nova Southeastern.

After West Chester finished batting around in the fourth, Davenport's final line showed seven runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out six.
Paige Zigmund escaped the inning with a big strikeout of Paige Marabell, keeping the deficit at 7-5 heading into the fifth.

After a scoreless fifth, Shaw-Tait led off the sixth with a single down the left-field line, which helped the Warriors tie the game at 7-7 after a two-run home run to left off the bat of Katie Master as the game went to the bottom of the sixth even at 7-7.

Aguilar untied the game with one swing in the sixth, working a long at-bat and eventually driving a home run to straightaway center, giving West Chester an 8-7 lead.

When asked about her go-ahead home run, Aguilar said, "I knew the whole game was going to be a great battle so I was never really worried whether we were trailing or tied, just knowing the fight this group has. For me, the ball was right there, and I was able to put a good swing on it, and it felt really good when it left the bat."

Hopkins continued her outstanding PSAC Tournament with her second home run of the day to straightaway center as well, giving West Chester a 9-7 lead with no outs in the sixth.

When asked about the sixth-inning outburst, which gave West Chester the lead for good, Lokey said, "We came out in complete attack mode again, which was great to see. It was another senior (Aguilar) who got that going, and then Mairead Hopkins added to it as she continued her amazing week."

When asked about being one of just a handful of Golden Rams back from the 2021 Championship team, Aguilar said, "This win was huge for us as a group. It gives us great momentum heading into Regionals, so now we need to keep taking it one game at a time and let the momentum keep going with us."

Best followed these back-to-back home runs up with a near home run of her own, doubling to right center before West Chester extended its lead on a fielders choice RBI off the bat of Melvin. West Chester stretched its lead to 11-7 after a bases-loaded walk by Rittenbaugh, thus bringing Aguilar back to the plate and allowing the Golden Rams to bat around for the second time in the game.

Ciliberto finished an outstanding complete-game effort in the circle in the seventh, working quickly to get her three outs and lift West Chester to an 11-7 victory. Ciliberto, the Tournament MVP, improved to 21-8 on the year, scattering eight hits and seven runs while striking out five in the Championship-clinching victory.

Zigmund suffered the loss for East Stroudsburg, allowing four runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out a pair to drop to 19-8 on the season.

Up Next:

West Chester will now wait to learn its NCAA Tournament fate in the selection show on NCAA.com on Monday at 10 a.m.