WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Shepherd University (21-20-1, 17-12-1 PSAC East) dropped a pair of games to West Chester (31-16, 17-13 PSAC East) in PSAC East softball doubleheader action at West Chester on Friday. The Rams dropped a 3-1 decision in game one and suffered a 9-0 setback in six innings in the nightcap. Sophomore pitcher Madelayne Ruffner (Charles Town, W.Va./Washington) fanned 12 in game one to give her 248 on the season and that allowed her to break the Shepherd single season-strikeout mark of 242 that she set in 2024.
 
Shepherd took a 1-0 lead in the fifth as senior outfielder Sydney Martin-Gonciarz (Frederick, Md./Thomas Johnson/Morgan State) reached on an error and later scored on a single off the bat of senior shortstop Lexi Clatterbuck (Front Royal, Va./Skyline).
 
West Chester rallied in the bottom of the sixth on a three-run homer by Danielle Ciliberto to get the victory.
 
Clatterbuck went 2-for-4 to pace the Rams.
 
Mackenzie Edwards (6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 K, 1 BB) (9-8) gained the win for Kutztown. Ciliberto (0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, 0 BB) picked up the save (3). Ruffner (6.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 12 K, 1 BB) took the loss (15-3).
         
The Golden Rams took a 1-0 lead in the second in the nightcap on a home run by Paige Marabell.
 
West Chester added two runs in the third behind RBI-singles from Casey Best and Ciliberto.
 
Hailey Melvin hit a two-run single in the fourth to up the lead to 5-0.
 
The Golden Rams completed the scoring in the sixth on an RBI-single by Ciliberto and a three-run blast by Marabell.
 
Senior third baseman Lauren Moore (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora/Trevecca Nazarene) went 2-for-3 to lead the Rams.
 
Melvin, Marabell, and Ciliberto each had a pair of hits for the Golden Rams.
 
Ciliberto (6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 K, 1 BB) (16-6) earned the win. Freshman pitcher Sam Colaw (Petersburg, W.Va./Petersburg) (5.0 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 2 K, 1 BB) (4-12) took the loss.
               
The Rams return to action on Saturday when they host Millersville for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.