BOX SCORE

VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH HANNAH MOIR

DRIFTON, PA—Hannah Moir (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape ) singled Sam Pientack (Archbald/Valley View) in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Bloomsburg University softball team to 1-0 win over Kutztown University in round two of the 2012 PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) playoffs. The Huskies will advance now to Friday's semi-finals where it will face IUP at 10 am for a berth in Saturday's conference title game.
 
For the second straight day the Huskies and their opponent played a scoreless eight innings setting up a dramatic ninth inning.
 
In the top of the ninth for the Golden Bears Kelly Strittmatter singled to lead off the inning. After Bloomsburg's Cait Paine (Lebanon/Lebanon) got the next two hitters on strikeouts, Heather Hannam singled to center field with Strittmatter taking off for third. However, the Huskies Raychelle Kuhns (Williamsport/Loyalsock) came off firing from center field and gunned down Strittmatter for the third out.
 
In the bottom of the ninth Pientack singled to left to lead off. Rachel Fredell (Dingmans Ferry/Delaware Valley), one pitch after fouling off a bunt attempt, slapped one to shallow left putting runners at first and second. Moir then lined a sharp single to center that was bobbled allowing Pientack to race home with the winning run.
 
Kutztown had a good scoring chance in the top of the sixth getting runners to second and third. But Paine got a strikeout to end the frame and keep the game scoreless.
 
Bloomsburg's best chance to score, before the ninth, was in the bottom of the first when the Huskies had runners at first and second, but KU pitcher Samantha Derr got a force out to end the inning.
 
“Our defense was very good today,” said head coach Susan Kocher. “We came up with every play we needed to today since runs were hard to come by. This win was also a good confidence boost for us”
 
“In the ninth, when we got the runners on, I was planning on sending Sam (Pientack) no matter if the ball was bobbled or not,” Kocher added.  
 
Paine was once again great in the circle for the Huskies fanning 10 and allowing just four hits to earn the victory. Kutztown's Derr suffered her first loss of the season after starting the year with 26 wins.
 
Bloomsburg, 34-12, will face IUP, a 14-10 winner over Lock Haven, in the semi-finals.