Box Score vs. Seton Hill

Box Score vs. West Virginia State

Salem, Va. – Millersville University softball coach Kathy Cummings may want to move her team's entire season to Salem, Virginia. The Marauders opened their 2010 West Virginia Wesleyan Tournament with two impressive wins, pounding Seton Hill 8-0 and coming from behind to knock off WVIAC power West Virginia State, 4-3, at the James Moyer Sports Complex on Friday night.

Millersville improved to 6-1 in its last seven games at the Virginia facility, dating back to last season. The Marauders (9-7) dominated Seton Hill from the get-go. Lindsay Hosier led the game off with a double and Sarah Signore followed with a single, setting the table for Kelly Fitzgerald's 3-run blast to center field. It was the first home run of the season for the sophomore catcher and it gave the Marauders a lead they would never relinquish.

Griffins (6-9) starter Caitlyn Kamalich would not record an out in the game. Kamalich gave up a hit to the first four batters she faced and her afternoon was over after Amy Kossyk singled in the first. Lyndsey Nusser came on in relief and stopped the bleeding, briefly.

Signore and Fitzgerald helped add to the MU lead in the third. Both registered singles and Signore eventually scored on a passed ball to make it 4-0.

Hosier singled in Jill Golomboski in the fourth and Fitzgerald followed with a single that plated Hosier giving the Black and Gold a six run edge.

Hosier would finish the game off with a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth. The combo of Hosier and Fitzgerald was unstoppable in the opener. The two teamed up to go 6-for-7 and accounted for all seven Millersville RBIs. Fitzgerald recorded her first career four-RBI game and continued to swing a hot bat in Salem, Va. Last year she went 10-for-17 with nine RBIs over five games in this tournament as a rookie.

Signore (5-0) came oh-so-close to no-hitting the Griffins. Only three players reached base against the righty over five innings. Two of those runners got on due to errors and the other via a walk. Signore even sat down the first batter she faced in the sixth, but her no-no bid was spoiled by consecutive singles from Lisa Kaczynski and Maggie Jones. The junior finished with six more strikeouts and allowed only the one walk.

Things didn't start off well for Millersville in its contest against West Virginia State (9-7). Freshman Alicia Hughes struggled with the Yellow Jacket bats and did not survive the second inning. The Quakertown, Pa., native allowed three runs –two earned– and was relieved by Courtney Eckman (2-3) after facing just seven batters.

Facing adversity, the Black and Gold responded against a quality opponent. Golomboski led off the top of the third inning with a double to put the comeback's wheels in motion. Ally Homa then walked and stole second to give Hosier a prime RBI opportunity. The senior delivered with a single to make it a two-run game. Signore continued the rally with an RBI groundout and Kossyk knotted the game at three with an RBI base knock of her own.

The Marauders would grab the lead in the fourth thanks to a dropped fly ball by WVSU centerfielder Mallory Hilton. Hilton muffed a two-out fly ball by Hosier, allowing Deanna Schneiderreit to cross the plate with the leading run.

Eckman bounced back from a shaky outing on Wednesday against Georgian Court by locking down the Yellow Jackets over their final four innings of at-bats. The Lancaster product faced 14 batters over those innings, just two more than the minimum 12. In all, she threw six innings of three-hit ball and struck out three for the surging Marauders, who have won five of their last six.

Millersville, which outhit the Yellow Jackets 5-4, did not have a player with more than one in the game.

Two more evening games are on the docket for the Marauders on Saturday. They take on Glenville State at 5 p.m., before facing host West Virginia Wesleyan at 7.