MILLERSVILLE, PA -
Alexa Erney (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) mashed her fifth home run of the season in game one and
Tara Baney (Howard, Pa./Bellefonte) twirled another three-hit shutout in game two as the Bloomsburg University softball team swept a pair of games at Millersville University Tuesday afternoon. The Huskies plated a pair of runs in the sixth inning en route to a 4-2 win in game one, and cruised to a 9-0 five-inning victory in game two. With the wins, Bloomsburg improves to 18-13 overall on the season.
Erney kick-started the big day for the Huskies with a two-run bomb in the top of the second to give Bloomsburg an early 2-0 lead in game one. The dinger marked two consecutive games with a long ball for Erney, who leads the team in that category with five homers on the season.
The Huskies lead held until the bottom of the fifth when Devan Masciulli knocked in Alexis Jenkins with an RBI single and Caitlin Pinchorski scored on a wild pitch to knot it at 2-2, but Bloomsburg punched back with a pair of runs in the top half of the sixth to retake a two-run lead.
Danielle Barnes (Coopersburg, Pa./Southern Lehigh) got the scoring started with a sacrifice fly that scored pinch-runner
Alexis Wetzler (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte), and
Marissa Shelhamer (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) followed with an RBI single that scored
Taylor Winkelman (Springfield, Pa/Springfield).
The 4-2 lead would be more than enough for Bloomsburg hurler
Abby Wild (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley), who retired the final six batters in order to dash any chances of a Marauders rally in the sixtth or seventh innings. Wild notched her team-leading 11th win of the season Tuesday after striking out nine and allowing just two earned runs on two hits in the complete game effort. Masciulli was 1-for-2 with the RBI single in game one, while pitcher Catherine Johnson had the other hit for Millersville. Johnson got the start in the circle for the Marauders and allowed four earned in 6.0 innings of work.
Winkelman went 3-for-5 with a run scored at the plate for the Huskies in game one, while Barnes,
Erin DelPierre (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), and
Julia Knight (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) each had a pair of hits in the win.
It would take just one big inning for Bloomsburg to do its damage in game two, as the Huskies plated nine runs in the top of the second to take a commanding 9-0 lead that they would not relinquish. Erney got the scoring started with an RBI single that scored
Sammi Starr (Berwick, Pa./21st Century Cyber Charter), and Baney followed with a double to left center that brought in
Emily Getz (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) and
Kelsey Impink (Schwenksville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley). The Bloomsburg lead later ballooned to six on a hit batter, error, and walk with the bases loaded, and Starr would make it 7-0 with an RBI groundout. The big inning for the Huskies was capped when Shelhamer and DelPierre both scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-0 after two.
Baney would take over from there, limiting the Marauders to just three hits over five innings to earn her fifth shutout victory of the season. The sophomore has now tossed back-to-back three-hitters, and has allowed just four earned runs over her last 49.2 innings pitched. Baney added five strikeouts in the win.
Bloomsburg returns home for a pair of PSAC Central battles against Clarion and Mansfield this weekend. The Huskies host Clarion Friday afternoon with first pitch in game one set for 2:30 p.m., and battle Mansfield Saturday afternoon with first pitch slated for 1:00 p.m.
