QUAKERTOWN, Pa.- Looking to start the PSAC Tournament a perfect 3-0 for the first time since 2017, the West Chester University softball team (33-20) returned to action on Friday morning vs another PSAC East rival in Kutztown (33-21). West Chester continued its power surge on Friday, hitting four more home runs, thanks in part to the third of the week off the bat of Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) and the second in as many days from Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) to post a 9-4 winners-bracket final victory over the Golden Bears.

We keep it rolling! @WestChesterSB posts a 9-4 victory over Kutztown and is the first team to punch its ticket to the @PSACsports Championship game on Saturday! pic.twitter.com/98THoh1HAd

— West Chester Golden Rams (@WCUAthletics) May 3, 2024

"It's the same thing I've been saying all week," opened a very happy Lokey when asked about the victory. "We've been doing a great job defensively and have had some great at-bats, which has been a lot of fun to watch. Danielle (Ciliberto) gave us great innings for the third time this week and has looked sharp in the circle. Going into the week, we knew we had to come out in attack mode and stay that way, and that is exactly what we have been doing."

"This run is incredible," said Melvin when asked about the team's first 3-0 start in Quakertown since 2017. "We are playing together as a team, and everyone is picking each other up. It's a great environment and feeling around this team right now, so we are very excited for Saturday."

Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) (20-8) earned the victory in the circle after scattering just 10 hits and four runs (three earned) while striking out three to send her team through to the PSAC Championship game for the first time since 2021.

"It feels great to get another big win for this group," said Ciliberto. "I wanted to make sure I was just hitting my spots, and the defense did a great job behind me, especially Grace and Gia, who made some amazing plays over on the left side of the infield."

"Another tremendous effort out of Danielle," Lokey quickly agreed when asked about the latest effort of her sophomore hurler. "At this point in the year, you aren't going to shut these teams down completely, and she is doing a great job of just keeping the game in control and giving us a great chance to win."

West Chester scored a pair in the first as Madison Melvin (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) singled to start the game and moved to third via a bunt and ensuing error from Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove), which allowed her to score on a sac fly by Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest). Casey Best (Wilmington, Del./Concord) stretched the lead to 2-1 with an RBI single with two outs as West Chester carried a 2-0 lead into the home first.
Kutztown cut the West Chester lead in half with three consecutive hits to open the game, including an RBI double by Naya Darnowski, allowing the Golden Bears to cut the deficit to 2-1 heading into the second.

In the top of the second, Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) helped her cause with her second home run of the Tournament, sending one out over the center field fence as West Chester led 3-1 after two innings.

Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) launched her third home run of the week in the third inning, which extended the lead to 4-1 before Kutztown got a run back in the third and fourth, using a sac fly from Emily Henn in the third and a solo shot off the bat of Brianna Hughes in the fourth to cut the WCU lead to 4-3 heading into the fifth.

"I'm seeing the ball well right now, but so is the entire team," said Hopkins when asked about her third home run of the week. "It's been a full-team effort all week, everyone bringing everything they have, and it feels great. We want to keep it that way through tomorrow."

Aguilar hit a deep drive to center, which looked as if it might have enough to extend the lead, but it was swallowed up and caught up against the fence for the first out of the fifth. With two outs, Hopkins reached on an error by the shortstop and scored moments later on a two-run home run to left center from Best to take a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth.

In the home fifth, Kutztown got a pair of two-out singles just past the Golden Ram infield, but Ciliberto worked out of the inning with a chopper down the third-base line to carry a three-run lead into the sixth.

West Chester had runners on throughout the sixth, and it paid dividends later in the inning as Rittenbaugh finished an eight-pitch at-bat with a three-run home run to right-center, which extended the lead to 9-3 and closed the book early on Haley Gravish.
When asked about Rittenbaugh's third home run in the last month, Lokey said, "During the postseason, it always feels like it is a senior who steps up and carries you through, and that is exactly what Ritt has been doing. She is playing great and a selfless player, playing for her team and just wanting to see the team do well."
Gravish (19-10) finished with a final line of nine runs (seven earned) on eight hits while walking one and striking out seven in 5.2 innings of work.
Allyson Koerner entered in relief and got a pop-up to escape the inning without further damage.

Trailing by sixth in the bottom of the seventh, Kutztown got runners on second and third with no outs and cut the deficit to 9-4 as Darnowski reached via an error, keeping runners on first and second for the Golden Bears. Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) made a tremendous and potentially game-saving catch in shallow left field, charging in and making a diving stop to get a clutch second out. Ciliberto ended the game with a fielder's choice to Aguilar at second, securing a massive 9-4 win and the 20th win of the year for Ciliberto.

When asked about the message heading into Championship Saturday, just one win shy of a Championship against a familiar foe, Lokey said, "We just need to keep controlling what we can control. All three teams left are teams we have seen plenty of and have beaten, but we know we can't worry about that. We need to worry about ourselves, what we can control, and keep taking care of business."

Up Next:

West Chester returns to action tomorrow at 11 a.m. vs. either Seton Hill, East Stroudsburg, or Kutztown. The trio will battle this afternoon for a spot in tomorrow morning's Championship. West Chester will need only one win to hoist its third PSAC Tournament title and first since 2021.