Softball | 4/23/2015 9:40:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 GAME ONE BOX  |  GAME TWO BOX

LOCK HAVEN—Bloomsburg University clinched a spot in next week's PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) softball playoffs with a doubleheader sweep of Lock Haven on Thursday winning by scores of 9-0 and 2-1 in eight innings.
 
With the two wins the Huskies move to 22-10 overall, 17-5 in the PSAC East, and will be one of four teams from the Eastern Division, which will head to Quakertown for the conference championship tournament.
 
In game one Sarah Bortner (Glenville/South Western), the PSAC leader in earned run average, tossed a three-hit shutout to lead Bloomsburg to the win. The sophomore gave up just three singles in the game, while not allowing anyone to reach second base and retiring the final 12 batters of the game. She struck out nine and walked one to pick up her fifth win of the season.
 
Valerie Carcasses (Barnegat, NJ/Barnegat), who was 2-5 with two runs scored and two RBI, led the Huskies offensive attack.
 
Carcasses got the scoring going for Bloomsburg in the first. She reached on an error and came around to score on Caitlin O'Connor (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls)'s RBI double. O'Connor then came around to score when Erika Yanora (Tunkhannock/Tunkhannock) also reached on an error to make it 2-0.
 
Bloomsburg made it 3-0 in the third when Maggie Hall (Cooperstown, N.Y./Cooperstown) singled and later scored on a bases loaded wild pitch.
 
The Huskies put the game away with six runs in the top of the seventh inning. Carcasses delivered a two-run single, while Erica Keen (Gordonville/Bishop Shanahan), Holly Peacock (Williamsport/Jersey Shore) and Yanora all had RBI hits.
 
Game two was a pitcher's duel between Bloomsburg's Taylor Parker (Dewart/Warrior Run) and Lock Haven's Jessie Probst. Parker gave up just five hits in the game, while Probst allowed only three.
 
Bloomsburg got on the board in the top first inning. With two outs O'Connor reached second on a two-base error and scored on Yanora's single through the right side.
 
From that point on both pitchers kept the game close as neither allowed a run. It wasn't until the bottom of the sixth that Parker surrendered a two-out solo homer to tie the game at 1-1.
 
In the bottom of the seventh Lock Haven threatened by putting runners at first and second with one out. But Parker worked out of the jam by fly out and foul out to force extra innings.
 
In the top of the eighth Holly Peacock (Williamsport/Jersey Shore) led off the inning with a solo homer to put Bloomsburg back on top 2-1. In the bottom of the eighth Bortner got the save retiring the Lady Eagles in order.
 
Parker improved to 11-2 on the year with the win.
 
Bloomsburg will be back in action on Friday hosting Millersville at 2:30 p.m.