SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – The Bloomsburg softball team split a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader at Shepherd on Sunday.
The Huskies (8-14, 3-1 PSAC East) won the first game in extra innings by a final score of 3-2, then the Rams (16-8, 1-5 PSAC East) held on for a 2-1 win in the second game.
In Game 1, Shepherd scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning on a solo home run to take a 1-0 lead. The Rams would hold that lead until the top of the third, which is when the Huskies would knot it up at 1-1 following a sacrifice fly by Bella Culp (Harrisburg, Pa/Central Dauphin).
Both teams would hold each other scoreless until the seventh, and it was Bloomsburg that was able to gain its first lead of the day in the top of the inning. In a bases loaded situation with one out, Taylor Kranzley (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) put the ball on the ground and into play allowing Mary Stork (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) to score from third base to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead. Shepherd, however, was able to record two outs on the play to get out of the inning while just surrendering one run.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Rams received a lead-off double by Hannah Beeler, who then advanced to third during the next at-bat following a sacrifice by Lauren Moore. Cameron Davis then singled on a bunt back to the pitcher in the next at-bat, allowing the tying run to cross home plate. Shepherd then got the game-winning run into scoring position with one out following a single in the next at-bat, but Bloomsburg pitcher Callie Sowers (Irwin, Pa/Hempfield Area) got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
Bloomsburg got two runners on base in the top of the eighth with two outs and threatened to take another one-run lead, but a lineout to third base ended the inning. The Huskies then started the top of the ninth with a lead-off single by Kayleigh Lenner (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy), but a groundout and fielder's choice during the next two at-bats left Bloomsburg with a runner at first with two outs. The Huskies, however, were able to respond with a pair of singles by Kranzley and Culp, which allowed the go-ahead run to cross the plate and give Bloomsburg a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the ninth, Shepherd got its leadoff hitter on base and all the way to third on an error, putting the tying run just 60 feet from home plate with no outs. Sowers, however, was able to draw three straight infield pop outs to end the game.
Sowers picked up her sixth win of the season after striking out 11 hitters and allowing just two runs on five hits during her nine innings in the circle.
At the plate, the Huskies had five hitters record two base hits. Sage Weidlich (Pittston, Pa./Pittston) and Gianna Gombeda (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton) also recorded one hit apiece to bring Bloomsburg's total to 12 hits. Gombeda and Alex Iseminger (Everett, Pa./Everett Area) both recorded doubles as the team had two extra-base hits.
Iseminger, Lenner, Kranzley, Culp and Welsh all had two hits. Culp had two RBI's while going 2-for-3.
In Game 2, it was Shepherd that got out to the first lead of the game again, and this time it was in the third inning when the Rams received an RBI single and RBI double to take a 2-0 lead.
Bloomsburg cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth when Emma Little (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn-Trafford) had an RBI single up the middle, but that would be the only run for the Huskies' offense.
At the plate in the second game, Little, Stork and Iseminger all recorded singles. Lenner had a big game by going 3-for-4 as the team finished with six hits.
Welsh was given the loss after throwing 2.2 innings, and Kelly Eberly (Purcellville, Va/Homeschooled) threw three scoreless innings in relief. Eberly had two strikeouts, and Welsh allowed two runs on four hits.
Bloomsburg's game at Shippensburg scheduled for Monday has been pushed to Wednesday, which is when the Huskies will hit the field again for their next contest. The PSAC East doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM on Wednesday at Shippensburg.
