EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - The Millersville softball team was one out away from winning its third game of the series against East Stroudsburg Saturday, but the Warriors put together an improbable rally to steal the nightcap 5-4 with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh. East Stroudsburg's 10-2 win in game one made the series a split, with the two PSAC East rivals each winning two games on their home fields.
Millersville had won six in a row entering Saturday's doubleheader but dropped to 8-4 (4-4 PSAC East) with the losses. East Stroudsburg boosted its record to 12-6 (6-5 PSAC East).
GAME ONE (EAST STROUDSBURG 10, MILLERSVILLE 2)
• Millersville jumped out to a 2-0 lead on
Alyssa Stover's two-run home run in the second inning, but that would be Millersville's only hit of the game. Marah Range (7-2), who the Marauders beat one day earlier, went the full six innings, striking out seven and allowing just the one hit and two walks.
• ESU erased the deficit with a four-run third inning and went on to score at least one run in each of the final four frames. Sami Fried,
Faith Willenbrock and Stover were the lone Marauders to reach base.
GAME TWO (EAST STROUDSBURG 5, MILLERSVILLE 4)
•
Maddie Guinane (2-1) very nearly extended her streak of complete game victories to three in a row. She tossed seven innings with one run allowed one day earlier and had limited ESU to one run on just two hits entering the seventh. Millersville held on to a 4-1 lead, and Guinane retired the first two batters of the inning. But Marissa Govan's two-out single started a string of five consecutive hits for the Warriors. Molly Nies singled to tie the game at four, and Reilly Vicendese singled to center to drive in the game-winning run.
• Millersville out-hit ESU 9-7 in the game and led 4-0 after the top of the fourth.
Rebecca Blatt went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run.
Hunter Little walked twice and scored a run. Willenbrock went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run.
Gabi Turner drove in two runs, Stover went 2-for-3 with a walk, and
Marli Schreiner doubled and scored a run.
REACTION FROM COACH JEN PROBST
•
On positives from the series: "I really liked our effort and attitude through the series. Even today, we didn't give up. We also made a lot of clutch plays and timely hits especially the first two games of the series."
•
On what the team will focus on this week: "On back-to-back days of games we need to work on bringing the same execution day two as in day one. We will also continue to work on our flexibility to play a lot of different positions because with the current climate we need to be ready for anything with any group of players."
NOTES
• Millersville has hit at least one home run in 10 of 12 games and led Division II in home runs per game with 2.40.
• Willenbrock now has 15 RBIs on the season, bringing her career total to 108, seven shy of tying the Millersville record.
• Stover's home run in game one was the first of her career.
UP NEXT
• Millersville has a busy week upcoming with a home PSAC East doubleheader vs. Lock Haven on Tuesday, a home non-conference doubleheader with Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday, and a series with Shippensburg on Friday and Saturday.
