Softball | 5/8/2017 7:21:00 PM
THE DETAILS
Bloomsburg (31-18) vs. Kutztown (30-15)
Thursday, May 11 - 12:00 p.m
Culpepper Field - Buckhannon, West Va.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Live Web Stream: https://livestream.com/accounts/14685197/events/7375389
STORYLINE
Bloomsburg, who enters as the sixth-seed in the Atlantic Region, will square off against third-seeded Kutztown University in the opening game of the Atlantic 2 Regional on Thursday, May 11, at West Virginia Weselyan College in Buckhannon, West Virginia. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
Both Bloomsburg (31-18) and Kutztown (30-15) received at-large bids to the postseason after West Chester, the top-seed in the region, earned the automatic bid by winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship on Saturday evening with a 6-0 win over the Huskies.
LAST MEETING WITH THE GOLDEN BEARS
The Huskies and the Golden Bears met on day one of the PSAC Tournament and Bloomsburg posted a 16-0, five-inning, victory last Wednesday afternoon. Senior
Taylor Parker (Dewart, Pa./Warrior Run) went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a home run, and five runs batted in while also pitching a complete-game two-hit shutout. Senior
Anna McElroy (Jessup, Pa./Valley View), juniors
Emily Mayhew (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge)and
Maggie Hall (Cooperstown, N.Y./Cooperstown), and sophomores
Emily Getz (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) and
Alexa Erney (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) each had two hits in the victory.
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
2017 PSAC Central Athlete of the Year,
Taylor Parker (Dewart, Pa./Warrior Run), leads the Bloomsburg lineup, as she is batting .364 with 56 hits, 11 home runs (Team-high) and 41 RBI (Team-high) this season. Parker batted 8-for-16 in the PSAC tournment, smacking three home runs and driving in 10 runs.
Also, Taylor Winkleman (All-PSAC Central Outfield) leads Bloomsburg with 58 hits, to go along with a .363 batting average, 12 doubles and 20 RBI. The sophomore hit .400 (6-for-15) in the conference tournament last weekend, with two home runs and six runs scored. Junior
Emily Mayhew (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) is hitting .333 this season with 50 hits, 12 doubles and 20 RBI. Mayhew hit .316 in the PSAC tournament, and made two key diving catches in center for the Huskies.
In the circle, Parker is 16-8 with a 2.28 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 150.2 innings pitched. She is one strikeout away from tying head coach,
Susan Kocher (485 career strikeouts), for seventh all-time in school history in that category. Additionally, 2017 PSAC Central Pitcher of the Year,
Mallory Tomaschik (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia), has tallied 13 wins, a team-low 2.09 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 127.1 innings pitched. Tomaschik earned a win in six innings of relief against Gannon, and another win as a start versus Lock Haven in the PSAC tournament.
SCOUTING KUTZTOWN
The Golden Bears enter the contest with a record of 30-15, but are coming off of back-to-back losses in PSAC tournament last weekend. In the opening round, Kutztown fell, 16-0 (5 inn.) to the Huskies, and then had dropped a 7-1 contest versus Shippensburg in an elimination game.
Sara Keeny leads the Golden Bears in batting average (.403), hits (62) and runs (40) on the season. Additionally, Gabby Tareila has a .397 average at the plate to go along with 15 doubles (Leads the team), three home runs and 26 RBI on the year. Cheyenne Jones is hitting .280 this season, but provides the power for Kutztown, as she has registered a team-high six home runs and 28 RBI.
In the circle, 2017 PSAC East Pitcher of the Year Savannah Nierintz leads the Golden Bears with a 21-7 record, 1.67 ERA, 23 complete games and 172 strikeouts in 201.2 innings pitched this season.
NCAA ATLANTIC 2 REGIONAL INFORMATION
West Virginia Wesleyan is the second seed in the Atlantic Region and will play seventh-seeded Charleston on Thursday, May 11 at 2:30 p.m. in first-round action. West Chester, the top overall seed, will play eight-seeded Chowan at the host of the other regional site, UVA-Wise. UVA-Wise is the fourth seed and will play fifth-seeded Shepherd.
Each four-team site will compete in double-elimination action, with the winner of each site moving on to the Super Regionals on May 18-19 for a best-of-three series. The winner – the Atlantic Region Champion – will move on to Salem, Virginia for the NCAA Division II National Championships beginning on May 24.
