WCU extends win streak with twinbill sweep of Goldey-Beacom

For a program averaging well over 40 wins per season since 2013, the West Chester University softball squad just can’t afford to let up against opponents who desperately want to knock them off.

But according to West Chester head coach Diane Lokey, the key for the 2018 Rams is to manage that kind of pressure by relaxing. It may sound a bit counterintuitive, but that approach is really starting to work.

On Thursday, West Chester took a brief break from conference play to overwhelm visiting Goldey-Beacom in both ends of a doubleheader. The Rams won the opener 8-0, behind a one-hitter by pitching ace Amanda Houck, and took the nightcap 9-1 thanks in part to a big threerun homer by a promising freshman. And both contests lasted just five innings due to the mercy rule.

“Every team is unique,” said Lokey, who is in her 14th season at the helm. “This group needs to relax. They put a lot of pressure on themselves because we have a lot of returners from last season. We talk a lot about relaxing and having fun — trust the process and it will work out.”

With the sweep, WCU has now won nine of the last 10 and improve to 24-9 overall. The Rams get back into league play on Saturday at Kutztown and are currently all alone in first place in the PSAC East at 7-1.

“We want to compete no matter if it’s a PSAC rival or a non-conference game. My mindset doesn’t really change,” said outfielder Bri Garber, who had a monster day at the plate.

The sophomore and leadoff hitter went 5-for-8 with five RBIs and two runs scored on Thursday, and seemed to be at the heart of just about every WCU rally. She drove in what ended up the winning run in game one, and came back and ended game two with a run-scoring single in the bottom of the fifth.

“I was just trying to see-ball and hit-ball — keep it simple,” Garber explained.

“We just want to make sure we are getting reps in because it’s important to stay on top of our game,” added Houck, who registered her 16th victory in the opener. “It’s also good to get different looks. Most of our nonconference games are regional games, so it’s good to see what other people in our region are seeing so we can compete when we, hopefully, get to the playoffs.”

The only hit off Houck in game one was a leadoff single in the second inning. She sent last 10 batters down in order, and finished with five strikeouts and no walks.

“The defense does a great job behind me, so I just try to do my job,” said Houck, a senior from Gap.

It took a while for the Rams offense to get rolling, but Garber drove in single runs in both the second and fourth innings. Then senior catcher Cat Hammer opened the fifth with solo homer to start the onslaught. Four hits – including doubles by Emily Maseth and Sara Ercolani -- plus a walk set stage for final play of the game: a bases loaded, two-out error by a Goldey-Beacom outfielder that cleared the bases and ended the game.

“(Houck) has gotten a lot stronger for this season,” Lokey said. “She’s looked good all year but she is really working into form.

“We’ve been trying to save her a bit – she was only going to pitch four (innings), but our bats didn’t come around until the third time around. It was only 2-0 going into the fifth.”

The second game unfolded similarly as WCU took the lead for good thanks to run-scoring hits by Courtney Stump, Garber and Alyssa Herion in the second inning. And then in the third, rookie Jaime Klemas headlined a five-run rally with a three-run homer.

“We felt like Jaime wasn’t getting the reps, so we needed to get her in and have three or four at bats so that she is ready to go when it comes to pinch hitting,” Lokey said. “Her timing was back by her third at-bat.”

The Rams then ended it with three straight hits in the fifth, capped off by Garber’s clinching single.

“I think we are getting better as the season goes on,” Garber said.

“We played a very tough schedule in Florida and I think it is paying off right now,” Lokey added.

“We didn’t start this season strong, but what really matters is how we finish.”

Junior Kelly Tinsman, who is settling in as West Chester’s No. 2 hurler, got the win in the nightcap. Five of the seven hits she surrendered came in the first inning, but she had just two base runners the rest of the way.

“Kelly had a rough first inning, but that’s a good learning moment because we are going to need her,” Lokey said. “She bounced back, however, and that sticks in my mind.”

A sophomore shortstop, Stump went a combined 4-for-5 in the twinbill, and Ercolani chipped in with three hits and four runs scored on the day.

“Every year I’ve been here, the team is completely different, but in a good way,” Houck said. “We are learning how to work together and we’ve come together that last few weeks.”