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BLOOMSBURG—The Bloomsburg University softball team dropped a doubleheader to No. 11 California (PA) on Saturday by scores of 2-0 in eight innings and 8-1 in the nightcap.
 
The opener was a pitching duel between the Huskies Cait Paine (Lebanon/Lebanon) and the Cal's Alex Sagl. Paine was dominant from the start getting the first seven outs of the game via the strikeout. Sagl meanwhile worked out of a mini jam in the second after giving up a leadoff single to Rachel Fredell (Dingmans Ferry/Delaware Valley). After Fredell was bunted over to second, Sagl got the next two batters swinging to end the threat. The hit, though, was just one of three allowed by Sagl in the game.
 
Bloomsburg did have a scoring threat in the bottom of the sixth when, with two outs, Kayla McHale (Dillsburg/Northern) tripled to center field. However, Sagl got a ground out to keep the game scoreless.
 
Cal finally broke through in the eighth inning off Paine. Shelby Heyd reached on a two-base error to lead off the inning and came around to score on a single by Natalaya Smarra, who moved to second on the throw home. One out later Breanna Morris tripled home Smarra to make it 2-0.
 
Sagl retired the Huskies in order in the bottom of the eight to get the win. Paine was the tough-luck loser for Bloomsburg despite striking out 14.
 
In game two, Cal scored single runs in the first and third innings to lead 2-0. In the bottom of the third Mandi Baer (Douglassville/Daniel Boone) drilled a long home run to left field to make it a 2-1 game. The Vulcans, though, came back with a homer from Smarra to lead 3-1.
 
Cal broke the game open in the fifth scoring five times taking advantage of three hits and four walks in the inning. The big hit in the inning was a two-run single by Heyd.
 
The Huskies did threaten in the sixth loading the bases on singles by McHale, Fredell and a walk to Caitlin O'Connor (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls), but Cal pitcher Hope Spancake got a ground out to end the inning.
 
Mandi Black (Huntington Mills/Northwest Area) suffered the loss for the Huskies. Brianna Taylor (Mifflinville/Central Columbia) finished up going the final 2 2/3 innings and allowing just one hit and striking out four.
 
Cal improves to 19-1 on the year, while the Huskies go to 17-7. Bloomsburg plays at Clarion on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.