QUAKERTOWN, Pa. - After clinching the No. 5 seed for the Eastern Division by winning four of its final six games, the Bloomsburg softball team will take on California (Pa.) in its first game of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament on Wednesday at Veterans Park in Quakertown.
The Huskies (21-31, 15-17 PSAC East) and the Vulcans (26-22, 19-13 PSAC West) both enter the double-elimination tournament on a two-game win streak and will meet for the first game of the tournament on Field 4 at 10:00 AM.
Tickets for the tournament must be purchased online for each day of the event on TicketLeap.
Needing to win one game during a doubleheader against Millersville on Saturday to advance to the postseason, the Huskeis Bloomsburg beat the Marauders twice in dramatic fashion to clinch the final seed out of the East. The Huskies trailed late in both games, but rallied late to beat the Marauders.
Bloomsburg is hitting for a .301 average as a team, which ranks sixth in the PSAC, and the squad leads the conference in fielding percentage (.975).
Sophomore pitcher Callie Sowers leads the team in wins with 14 and the right-hander is the league-leader in strikeouts with 227, which is 44 more than anyone else in the conference. Sowers also leads the conference in complete games with 23 and is second in shutouts with six. Left-handed pitcher Kelly Eberly is second on the team in appearances with 21 and has made 15 starts during the 2023 season.
At the plate, freshman Sage Weidlich leads the team in batting average and is hitting .364 during her first season with the Huskies. Kayleigh Lenner leads the squad in hits with 64 and runs with 27. Lenner also has 24 runs batted in, which ranks third on the team. Lenner also holds a 16-game hitting streak, which is the longest active streak on the team heading into Wednesday's contest.
Alex Iseminger and Emma Little are tied with a team-high 32 RBI's and both players are hitting over .300. Little holds a .324 batting average to go along with eight doubles and four home runs while Iseminger is hitting .311 with 14 doubles and seven long balls.
Bella Culp is second on the team in hits with 57 and the sophomore has two triples, two doubles and 25 runs scored to go along with an on base percentage of .398. Culp has an active 14-game hitting streak and has 18 mutiple hit games, which is tied with Lenner for a team high.
California (Pa.) enters the PSAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed out of the Western Division and holds a record of 26-22 (19-13 PSAC West). The Vulcans are led in the circle by three different pitchers who have made at least 23 appearances on the mound this season.
Right-handed hurler Caleigh Rister leads the team in wins with 12 and holds a 1.82 ERA, which is the fourth-lowest in the conference. Rister also leads the squad with 134.1 innings pitched and has held opponents to a .238 batting average. Alyssa Rose started 12 games this season and made 23 appearances in the circle. Additionaly, the junior has held opponents to just a .206 batting average. Kailey Larcinese also made 24 appearances for California (Pa.) and sports a 3.21 ERA.
The Vuclans' top hitter is Kaitlyn Achtermeier and the sophomore leads the team in most major hitting categories. Achtermeier has a batting average of .395 (8th in PSAC) and leads the team in hits (58), doubles (16), RBI's (40), total bases (87) and slugging percentage (.592).
California (Pa.) also has five more hitters hitting over .300 in Rister, Britney Wilson, Carlena Fiorilli, Charity Henderson and Rose. Henderson is second on the team in RBI's with 35 and Fiorilli ranks second in hits with 49.
The winner of the opening round game will face the Eastern Division's No. 1 seed West Chester at 3:00 PM on Wednesday. The loser will play either Seton Hill, Shippensburg or Gannon in an elimination game at 5:30 PM on Wednesday.
