WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) etched her name into West Chester University (29-18, 17-11) and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) softball lore on Tuesday afternoon as she broke the career hits record in game one and helped lead the Golden Rams to a crucial sweep of Shippensburg (30-14, 17-11) on Tuesday afternoon.

West Chester used a seventh-inning comeback to win game one by a 4-3 final before jumping out to an early lead in the nightcap and never relinquishing this advantage in an 8-2 game two victory. Today's sweep marks the Golden Rams first sweep of the Raiders since the 2021 season when the Golden Rams swept the season series as part of a six-game winning streak against Shippensburg. Today's sweep, which gives West Chester a split of the season series, also catapults the Purple and Gold from fifth in the PSAC East standings into a tie for second with Shippensburg with two doubleheaders left on the schedule for later this week.

Game One: WCU 4 Shippensburg 3

Melvin broke the career hits record, previously held by Bri Garber (2017-21), with a single up the middle in the third and later came around to score after a bases-loaded hit by pitch by Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin).

Let's also take another look at the hit that gave Melvin the PSAC career hits record! pic.twitter.com/EeoG2h4FjF

— West Chester Golden Rams (@WCUAthletics) April 23, 2024

Two of the best to ever do it... The previous WCU Softball/PSAC career-hits record holder Bri Garber was on hand at today's doubleheader to help Madison Melvin and the Golden Rams celebrate the new WCU/PSAC Career-hit record holder as Melvin ended the sweep with 322 career hits! pic.twitter.com/X11PwithRn

— West Chester Golden Rams (@WCUAthletics) April 23, 2024

Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove), who had just recently recorded her 200th collegiate hit on Saturday afternoon, doubled the lead in the fourth with a single up the middle, which scored Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North), who had singled up the middle earlier in the inning.

Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) (17-8) was excellent in the circle throughout the afternoon but found her first true bit of trouble in the fifth as the Raiders loaded the bases with two outs in the inning after Caitlin Martell worked a walk after a 10-pitch at bat. Sarah Saboscik followed this up with a double into the gap, which cleared the bases and gave the guests a 3-2 lead heading into the home fifth.

These three runs were all that Ciliberto would surrender en route to her staff-best 17^th win of the season, scattering eight hits and a walk while striking out five.

On the other side, Alicia Ball settled in well after a few rocky middle innings and carried a slim 3-2 lead into the home seventh as her pitch count neared 150 on the afternoon. West Chester started the frame by loading the bases as each of its first three batters reached. Shippensburg got a big first out via the infield-fly rule, but Paige Marabell (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) put together her best at-bat of the afternoon, working a six-pitch walk to tie the game at 3-3. Casey Best (Wilmington, Del./Concord) ensured extra innings would not be required for West Chester to earn a vital comeback victory, lacing a single up the middle, which scored Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest), who had singled with Rittenbaugh to open the inning.

WALK THIS WAY! Check out Best's walkoff here! pic.twitter.com/GN9dGmtwnx

— West Chester Golden Rams (@WCUAthletics) April 23, 2024

Ball suffered the loss in the circle, allowing four runs (three earned) on 10 hits and four walks while striking out five to fall to 17-4 on the season.

Game Two: WCU 8 SHIP 2

Shippensburg wasted little time in getting out to an early lead in the nightcap, using a pair of hits in the top of the first to carry a 1-0 lead into the home first.

Aguilar ensured the deficit would be short-lived as she drove a two-run home run to left with one out in the home first to give the Golden Rams a 2-1 lead.

West Chester loaded the bases with two outs in the first and stretched its lead to 3-1 after an RBI single through the left side by Lauryn Kane (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh).

Shippensburg cut the West Chester lead in half with a two-out solo home run to left center, but this was all the Raiders would muster in the third as West Chester carried a 3-2 lead into the home fourth.

In the fourth, West Chester scratched across an important insurance run via a sac fly from Hopkins to take a 4-2 lead into the fifth.

After a quick and scoreless top of the fifth, West Chester was greeted by a new pitcher in the home fifth as Maelynn Leber entered in relief of Kaira Zamadics. West Chester got each of its first two batters of the inning on and had runners on second and third with just one out after a Kane groundout to first. Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) made the most of this with a two-RBI single up the middle, giving West Chester a comfortable 6-2 lead heading into the sixth.

West Chester got a pair of RBI singles by Marabell and Melvin in the home sixth to take an 8-2 lead while also keeping the bases loaded throughout the inning, threatening to send the home crowd home early. Maddy Borowski entered in relief of Leber, who yielded four runs (two earned) on four hits while walking a pair, escaped the bases-loaded jam, and forced the seventh inning to be played with a groundball back to the circle from Rittenbaugh.

Zamadics (0-3) finished her day with a final line of four runs on five hits and five walks while striking out one in four innings of work.

Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) got the start in the circle and improved to 9-6 on the year with an impressive performance, which saw her work 6.2 innings, scattering just two runs on six hits and a pair of walks, while striking out five. Ciliberto returned to the circle with a pair of runners on and got the final out quickly with a chopper back to the circle to seal the 8-2 victory.

Up Next:

West Chester returns to action in its regular-season home finale on Friday against Kutztown beginning at 1 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the Golden Rams will honor their senior class prior to first pitch on Friday afternoon.