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BUCKHANNON, W. Va. - Junior Sarah Bortner (Glenville, Pa./South Western) hurled a two-hit shutout and junior Mallory Tomaschik (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia) drove in three runs to lift the Bloomsburg University softball team to a 6-0 victory over Winston-Salem State University in an elimination game at the NCAA Division II Softball Atlantic Region 1 Tournament, hosted by West Virginia Wesleyan, on Friday night. With the victory, the Huskies live to see another day as they improved to 45-8 on the season. The Rams were eliminated from the tournament and concluded their season with a 30-22 mark.

Bortner had a perfect game going until Winston-Salem's Mercedes Hargett broke up the bid with a two-out single in the top of the fourth inning. Hargett also had the Rams' other hit, a two-out double in the top of the sixth. The Huskies' junior righthander walked a batter and struck out seven, including the side in the seventh, to improve to 17-6. Eighteen of the outs she recorded were either via strikeout or groundout.

Bloomsburg's offense gave Bortner everything she needed when it plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning against Hargett. Freshman Taylor Winkelman (Springfield, Pa/Springfield) and sophomore Emily Mayhew (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) set the table with back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. After Hargett retired junior Taylor Parker (Dewart, Pa./Warrior Run) on strikes, Winkelman stole third base and then scored when the throw from the Rams' catcher sailed into left field. Mayhew, who advanced to second on the errant throw, scored on a single to right field from Tomaschik.

Winkelman and Mayhew were at it again in the bottom half of the third inning when the Huskies blew the game open. The duo, for the second consecutive time, led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Parker drew a walk to load the bases and Tomaschik singled home a pair with a grounder back up the middle to give Bloomsburg a 4-0 advantage. Parker and Tomaschik advanced a base when the throw from center bounded away from the Rams' catcher. The throw proved costly as freshman Marissa Shelhamer (Nescopeck, Pa./Central Columbia) singled to drive home Parker for a 5-0 lead and junior Anna McElroy (Jessup, Pa./Valley View) hit a sacrifice fly to right that plated Tomaschik for the final run of the inning, and of the contest.

Winston-Salem's best chance to score came in the fourth when it put together a two-out rally against Bortner. Hargett broke up the perfect game with a two-out single and then a walk and an error loaded the bases. But, Bortner retired Idaysha Quinones on a groundout to end the threat.

Bortner was in complete control from that point, allowing only the two-out double in the sixth for the Rams' only other baserunner. Over the last three innings, Bortner recorded five of her seven strikeouts.

The Huskies had eight hits against Hargett, who ended her season with a 20-12 record. Winkelman went 3-for-4 while Mayhew had two hits in three trips. Both scored a pair of runs. Tomaschik also went 2-for-3 and drove in a game-high three runs. 

Bloomsburg will have another date with the Vulcans of California University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, May 7, at 10:00 a.m. in another elimination game. This will mark the fifth meeting between the two schools over the last week with each team winning twice. The Vulcans defeated Bloomsburg in the regional opener, 3-1, to send the Huskies to the elimination bracket. The Vulcans later lost to host West Virginia Wesleyan by a 6-1 final to set up a rematch with the Huskies.

The winner of Saturday morning's contest will take on West Virginia Wesleyan, which is unbeaten, in the regional final.