Herion Blast Lifts No. 18 West Chester Over Chowan, 2-1

Box Score
West Chester Press Conference

WISE, Va. – So., SS Alyssa Herion (Avon Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning to lead 18th-ranked West Chester to a 2-1 victory over Chowan in the first round of the NCAA DII Atlantic Region 1 Tournament at Cavalier Field Thursday evening.
 
West Chester (45-10) advances into the winners bracket of the regional pod and will face Shepherd (WV) on Friday at 12 p.m. Chowan (36-19) will take on host institution UVA-Wise (35-18) immediately afterwards in an elimination game.
 
Herion hit a 2-1 pitch over the fence with two outs and Emily Maseth (Warminster, Md./Warminster) on base. Maseth led off the frame with a single, and the next two batters popped out, setting the stage for Herion's blast.
 
Jr., left-hander Amanda Houck (Gap, Pa./Pequea Valley) went the distance inside the circle, getting out of a jam in the top of the seventh with the tying run on third base. She improves to 32-3 on the year with the "W". She allowed one run on six hits while walking one and striking out five. She kept Chowan off the board until the seventh.
 
Sara Ercolani (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) went 2-for-3 in the win.
 
Tomorrow's contest scheduled for 12 p.m. may be subject to change as the weather pattern moving into the area does not look good for softball. Stay tuned to @WCUAthletics and the school's official athletics web page: www.wcupagoldenrams.com for updates to the game schedule.