West Chester softball opens with doubleheader split

Playing in its earliest home game in recent memory, the West Chester softball team (1-1) kicked off its season at home on Friday afternoon in a non-conference battle against Le Moyne (1-1).

West Chester dropped game one by a 4-3 final before storming back to take game two by an 8-2 final behind a masterful pitching performance by Samantha Klug and a pair of triples by Madison Melvin to split its first series of the 2023 season.

In the home half of the third, West Chester erased its one-run deficit quickly after a bases-loaded double by Aguilar scored a pair before West Chester pushed another run across on a wild pitch to take a 3-1 lead into the fourth.

Antonia Browning worked a scoreless fourth and recorded her fourth strikeout of the game before being lifted in the fifth after her first batter reached. Browning finished with a line of 4.0 innings pitched, surrendering two runs (one earned) on one hit and four walks.

Mary Picozzi entered in relief and surrendered back-to-back hits, surrendering the lead and being charged with a pair of runs, although only one was earned.

McKenzie Edwards entered in relief and limited the damage, keeping West Chester within a run (4-3) heading into the home half of the fifth.

In game two, Pinch-hitter Alexa Peterson tied the game up at 2-2 with a double down the left-field line in the bottom of the sixth. West Chester pushed across another run moments later on an error following a sharply hit ground ball by Cyd Keidaisch before scoring its fourth run on a standup triple by Melvin, her second of the game to give West Chester a 4-2 lead.

Abby Quinn extended the lead by four with a grand slam to dead center, giving West Chester a commanding 8-2 lead heading into the seventh.