WEST CHESTER, Pa. - The Bloomsburg softball team dropped a pair of games heartbreakingly on the road against West Chester Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Rams walked off game one in the bottom of the eighth inning in a game decided by one run.

The second game of the day was a more offensive showing for both sides, with West Chester sealing a doubleheader sweep with a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Huskies fall to 17-10 overall on the season with a 6-4 record in the PSAC. The Golden Rams improve to 18-9 with a 7-3 mark in conference action.

Game One: 
Neither team had much going through the early portions of the game, with West Chester notching the first hit for either side with a two-out double in the bottom of the second.

Emma Little (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn-Trafford) was the first Bloomsburg player to reach base via a one-out walk, but nothing would amount from the glimmer in the third. The first hit of the day for the Huskies came from a Kayleigh Lenner (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) single in the top of the fourth, but Bloomsburg could not break through despite working with multiple outs.

The Huskies had their best chance to get something going in the top of the sixth with two outs. Sage Weidlich (Pittston, Pa./Pittston) reached first after being hit by a pitch and was followed by a second single from Lenner after working a full count. The Golden Rams maneuvered out of the situation following a pitching change to keep Bloomsburg from scoring.

The Huskies would again put themselves in a position to take the lead after Sarah Yamrick (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot) singled and successfully moved over with a sacrifice bunt to put a runner in scoring position with one out. The attempt would come up empty after the next two batters were retired to provide the opportunity again to West Chester.

Despite taking the defeat, Callie Sowers (Irwin, Pa/Hempfield Area) provided Bloomsburg with opportunities to take the game. The junior had given up four hits against the Golden Rams' lineup with seven strikeouts through the first seven innings. 
In extras, West Chester recorded three hits in the bottom of the eighth to take game one, 1-0, in walk-off fashion.

Game Two: 
Both sides loosened up the bats, but another piece of timely hitting from the Golden Rams' lineup secured an 8-7 walk-off victory for the home team.

Seeking redemption, the Huskies struck first in game two with a three-run second inning. Bloomsburg rallied with two outs, with Emmie Rowe (Hetlerville, Pa./Central Columbia) delivering the first run off a RBI single to drive in Yamrick. Little followed up one scoring play with another, as she launched a two-run home run over the wall in center field to bring the Huskies' advantage to 3-0.

After a scoreless third inning, both teams would add to the scoreboard in the fourth. Taylor Kranzley (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) began the inning with a double for Bloomsburg before coming around a RBI bunt-single from Yamrick that found a gap in the West Chester defense.
The Golden Rams would respond with a five-run bottom portion of the fourth to take its first lead of the game at 5-4.

Starter Kelly Eberly (Purcellville, Va/Homeschooled) found herself in a bases-loaded jam, and West Chester jumped at the opportunity. Eberly hit one batter to make it a 4-1 game before a grand slam from Paige Marabell gave the home side its first lead. 
The Golden Rams tacked on two more in the bottom of the fifth to expand their advantage to 7-4.

Facing the three-run deficit, the Huskies looked to be aggressive in the sixth. Lenner led off the inning with a single to set up a Kranzley two-run home run and bring the game within one. After Yamrick recorded the third consecutive hit of the inning, a single through the left side of the infield, a failed sacrifice bunt attempt swung the momentum back in West Chester's Makenzie Edwards as the Golden Rams' pitcher recorded three consecutive outs to keep the game at 7-6.
 
Lyndsey Reinoehl (Shenandoah Heights, Pa./Marian Catholic) did well to prevent further damage from the West Chester lineup. Through 2.1 innings pitched, the senior gave up two hits and walked one while striking out three batters. 

Needing one run to extend its chances, Bloomsburg looked to find some magic in the seventh inning. With one out, Bella Culp (Harrisburg, Pa/Central Dauphin) singled through the infield to put the tying runner on base. After the Golden Rams recorded the second out, the pressure sat on Lenner's shoulders. Locked in a highly-contested battle with Edwards, Lenner sent the 10th pitch of the at-bat to the wall to plate Culp and tie the game at 7-7.

Reinoehl retired West Chester's first two batters of the inning before a full-count walk and a quick single put two on with two outs. Sowers came in with the chance to force extra innings for the second time, but a pinch-hit, walk-off double from the Golden Rams' Alexa Peterson dealt the Huskies their second defeat. 

On the Horizon: 
The Huskies return to Jan M. Hutchinson Field on Tuesday, April 2, for a doubleheader, beginning at 2:00 p.m. against #14 East Stroudsburg.