MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The Bloomsburg University softball team split with Millersville University in a key Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East doubleheader, Friday afternoon. After falling 6-5 in the first game, the Huskies came back to defeat the Marauders 9-1 in the night cap. With the split, the Huskies improved to 12-16 for the year and 10-16 in PSAC East action while the Marauders dropped to 19-15 for the year and 12-14 in conference place.
 
The Huskies jumped out to a quick 3-0 in the first inning of the first game. Freshman Kayleigh Lenner (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) led off the ballgame with a double down the left field line and moved to third on junior Sammi Starr's (Berwick, Pa./Berwick Area) single to right field. Senior Nicolette Ray (Abington, Pa./Abington) brought home Lenner for the first run of the ball game with a single to left. Freshman Alex Iseminger (Everett, Pa./Everett Area) kept the carousel going on the base paths as she reached on a fielder's choice that sent Ray to third and allowed Starr to score on a throwing error by the short stop. Junior Erin DelPierre (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) singled to left to bring home Ray and give Bloomsburg a 3-0 lead.
 
Both teams had a quiet second before Bloomsburg added a pair of insurance runs in the top for the third. Starr led off the inning with a single to second and Ray followed with a single through the middle. Iseminger kept hit the parade going with a single through the right side that brought home Starr. DelPierre reached on a fielder's choice that got Ray out at third but kept two runners on for the Huskies. Junior Rebecaa Rossi sacrificed both runners over to put two in scoring position with two outs. Junior Alexis Wetzler (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte Area) singled to left field to score Iseminger but DelPierre was out at home as she tried to give Bloomsburg a 6-0 lead.
 
The Huskies appeared to be in good shape but the Marauder bats came alive in the bottom of the third. Millersville plated six runs on five hits and two Bloomsburg errors to take a 6-5 lead.
 
Bloomsburg put two runners on with less no one out in the top of the sixth but Millersville's pitcher, Morgan Crutcher pitched herself out of the jam and hung on for the complete-game win.
 
Senior Tara Baney (Howard, Pa./Bellefonte Area) took the loss in the circle for the Huskies after going 3.1 innings and allowing six runs, four earned, on eight hits and two walks while striking out one.
 
Lenner, Starr, Ray, and Iseminger all collected a pair of hits for Bloomsburg.
 
Bloomsburg once again got out to an early lead in game two but this time had a more favorable outcome.
 
After a scoreless first for both teams, Bloomsburg took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second thanks to Rossi scoring on an error by the Marauder second baseman. The Huskies added to their lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third on junior Danielle Barnes' (Coopersburg, Pa./Southern Lehigh) two-run fielder's choice that brought home Ray and DelPierre.
 
Redshirt junior Abby Wild (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) kept the Millersville bats in check over the first four innings, allowing just three hits and two walks and not allowing a run.
 
Bloomsburg added to its lead in the to of the fourth as the Huskies scored two runs on three hits and a Millersville error to push its lead to 5-0 midway through the game. Dobson led off the fourth with a double to left and came around to score on Ray's single to right two batters later. DelPierre plated the fifth run of the game for Bloomsburg with an RBI-single up the middle that brought home Lenner.
 
After a scoreless fifth for BU, Millersville broke up the shut out with a run on two hits and an error in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 5-1 ball game.
 
The Huskies broke open the game with four runs on three hits and two errors in the top of the sixth to take a 9-1 lead. Ray drove home the first two runs on the inning with a single through the right side to bring home Lenner and Starr. With two outs and two one, Barnes singled to right and eventually advanced to third on an error that brought home Rossi and Ray for the 9-1 lead.
 
Sophomore Savannah Doney (Trout Run, Pa./North Penn-Liberty) come out to pitch in the bottom of the fifth for Bloomsburg and closed out the game in the sixth. After giving up a lead-off single, Doney got a strike out for the first out in the frame. After a walk to put two one with one out, Doney induced a pair of fly outs to end the game as Bloomsburg held a 9-1 lead.
 
Wild earned the win in game two after going 4.0 innings and allowing no runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five.
 
Ray was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two runs and three RBI while Rossi collected a pair of hits for Bloomsburg.
 
The Huskies get right back to action against the Marauders tomorrow as they host Millersville for a 12:00 pm doubleheader beginning at 12:00 pm at Jan M. Hutchinson Field.