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SHIPPENSBURG—Winning the opening round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional playoffs got a bit harder for Bloomsburg University after suffering a 5-0 loss to Kutztown University on Saturday afternoon at Shippensburg University.
 
The start of the game was delayed six and-a-half hours due to off and on rain showers that hit the Shippensburg area.
 
The game was a scoreless battle through the three innings of the contest. Bloomsburg got the first base runner of the game in the second inning when Hannah Moir (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape ) reached on an error. Kutztown pitcher Dominique Ficara though got a ground out to end the inning.
 
The Golden Bears got the first hit of the game in the bottom of the second inning when Nicole Henniger singled. But, Huskies pitcher Cait Paine (Lebanon/Lebanon) got a strikeout to end the frame.
 
Kutztown finally broke through and got on the board in the fourth inning when Katie Lynch singled, moved to second on a bunt and scored on a double by Maria Esgro.
 
The Huskies threatened in the top of the sixth. With one out Rachel Fredell (Dingmans Ferry/Delaware Valley) singled to right center. After a line out to left, Caitlin O'Connor (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls) singled to left putting runners at first and second. However, Ficara got Moir to bounce into a fielder's choice keeping it a 1-0 game.
 
Kutztown got some insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth scoring four times with the big blast coming from Lindsey Kelley who hit a three-run homer to make it 5-0.
 
In the top of the seventh the Huskies went in order and sending the team to the loser's bracket of the four-team regional.

Paine suffered the loss for the Huskies allowing six hits and striking out five.

Bloomsburg, 31-18, will play the winner of the Shippensburg/West Virginia State game at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.