Tigers Split Non-Conference DH With West Chester

GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE


West Chester, Pa. - The Holy Family University softball team salvaged a non-conference doubleheader with West Chester University with a 6-0 victory in game two after the Golden Rams won game one by the score of 8-6 on Tuesday afternoon at the West Chester Softball Field.
 
Holy Family is now 9-11 overall after the game two victory, while West Chester is now 20-9 overall.
 
Senior Deanna Myers (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) highlighted the afternoon with a historic three-run home run in game two.  Myers entered the game as a pinch hitter and launched her 21st career long ball over the left-center field fence, which tied the program's all-time record.  Former standout Cassandra Fitzgerald-Black (Whitby, Ontario/Fr. Leo J. Austin C.S.S.) set the current standard of 21 home runs last season.  Myers finished the afternoon 3-for-5 with a team-high five RBI. 
 
Senior Lindsey Iden (Rushland, Pa./Council Rock North) (4-for-8), junior AnnMarie Dalton (Northampton, Pa./Northampton Area) (4-for-6) and freshman Kristine Casey (Newark, Del./Caravel) (4-for-8) all led the Tigers with four hits on the day.  Iden and Dalton both had two doubles.  Junior Erin Corrado (Fair Hill, Md./St. Mark's (Del.)) tallied three hits on the afternoon, including her second home run of the season in game one.  Fellow classmate Samantha Borrelli (West Berlin, N.J./Overbrook) (3-for-8) also recorded three hits to go along with two doubles and three RBI. 
 
In the pitching circle, junior Victoria Reuscher (Cheltenham, Pa./Little Flower HS for Girls) improved to 5-2 this season after pitching a complete game shutout in game two.  Reuscher scattered seven hits and struck out two batters.
 
Game One: West Chester 8, Holy Family 6
 
In game one, both teams combined for 14 runs and 25 hits as offense highlighted the game.  Holy Family struck first thanks to Corrado's second home run of the season.  In the fourth inning, Corrado launched the ball over the left field fence to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. 
 
However, West Chester responded with five runs in its half of the fourth to take a commanding 5-1 lead.  Freshman Laura Altenburger gave the Golden Rams a 2-1 lead with a two-run home run to jump-start the five-run inning.  Junior Andria Schuck also drove in a pair of runs later in the inning with a two-run double.  Junior Kim Murl capped the inning with a run scoring single.  Murl finished the game 3-for-3 at the plate.
 
Holy Family responded in the fifth, as the Tigers rallied for three runs to come within one run of the Golden Rams' lead.  With runners at first and second and one out, Borrelli doubled to left field scoring Dalton who doubled herself earlier in the inning.  The very next batter, Myers stepped up and singled to right-center scoring both Tomlinson (hit by pitch) and Borrelli to make the score 5-4.  After Corrado was hit by a pitch, West Chester went on to retire the next two hitters to halt the Tigers rally.
 
The Golden Rams added two more runs in their half of the fifth to make the score 7-4, before the Tigers once again came within one run of the lead in the sixth inning.  Borrelli highlighted the Tigers' sixth with a two-run double to make the score 7-6.  Holy Family loaded the bases after the three of the first four hitters reached base. 
 
West Chester tacked on an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning to make the score 8-6. 
 
Senior Devon Utterback (10-2) picked up her tenth win of the season for West Chester as she went 5.1 innings.  She allowed six runs and ten hits, but struck out seven batters in the winning effort. 
 
Borrelli and Myers each finished 2-for-4 at the plate for the Tigers and combined for five RBI; Three by Borrelli and two by Myers.
 
Game 2: Holy Family 6, West Chester 0
 
Holy Family erupted for a season-high 14 hits in game two as the Tigers' offense continued where it left off in game one.  Already leading 1-0 entering the sixth inning, the Tigers came through with a four-run inning to break the game wide open. 
 
After back-to-back hits by Iden and Casey to start the inning, West Chester managed to retire the next two hitters in hopes to end the Tigers' threat.  With runners at the corners, Dalton doubled the Tigers' lead to 2-0 with a run scoring single up the middle scoring junior Valerie Miller (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) who pinch ran for Iden. 
 
Leading 2-0, Myers stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter and came through with a clutch three-run home run over the left-center field fence to give the Tigers a 5-0 advantage.  As mentioned, Myers' second home run of the season was the 21st of her career tying the program's all-time record.  
 
Holy Family added another run in the seventh after Iden doubled to right-center scoring sophomore Kristy Tomlinson (Philadelphia, Pa./Franklin Towne Charter) who entered as a pinch-runner for junior Hayley Brennan (Frankford, Del./Indian River) after she recorded a one-out single.
 
That would be plenty of run support for Reuscher as she picked up her fifth win and second shutout of the season.  She scattered seven hits and walked none, as West Chester never had a runner advance past second base.  Reuscher also struck out two batters. 
 
Casey, Dalton and Iden each went 3-for-4 at the plate, combining for nine of the team's 14 hits.  In addition, all three batters drove in a run. 
 
Holy Family is back in action on Wednesday, April 3 as the Tigers host Nyack College in a CACC doubleheader.  Game one is slated to start at 3 p.m. at Helen Randle Park.
 

  - HFU -