SPEHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - The Bloomsburg softball dug deep for late-game heroics to earn a pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) victories in a sweep over Shepherd Saturday afternoon.
The Huskies had enough in the tank in a back-and-forth 8-6 contest in game one. Bloomsburg had 13 hits in the game as a team, with six base knocks and four runs coming in a pivotal seventh inning.
Kayleigh Lenner (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) led the team with a three-RBI performance, including plating the first two in the four-run rally.
Mia Nemeth (Drums, Pa/Marian Catholic) drove in the deciding run, finishing 2-for-4 in the contest with two RBI and her second home run of the season.
Game two was a lower-scoring affair between the two sides, but the Huskies responded similarly with a four-run seventh inning to come out on top, 5-1 and secure the sweep.
Lyndsey Reinoehl (Shenandoah Heights, Pa./Marian Catholic) picked up her second win of the season, tossing her first complete game of the campaign and surrendering a single run.
Taylor Kranzley (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) and
Emmie Rowe (Hetlerville, Pa./Central Columbia) each delivered two-RBI hits in the top of the seventh.
Bloomsburg improves to 23-14 on the season, with a 12-8 record in the PSAC. The Rams fall to 18-22 with an 8-14 mark in conference action.
Game One:
The opening action of the day opened scoreless through the first inning before action picked up in the second.
Sarah Yamrick (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot) reached base to lead off the inning after being hit by a pitch.
Alex Iseminger (Everett, Pa./Everett Area) followed up with a one-out double to bring Yamrick home from first and give the Huskies a 1-0 advantage.
The lead did not last for long as Shepherd got the run back with a solo home run in the bottom portion of the frame to make it 1-1. The Rams would grab their first lead of the game after a batter reached on an error and eventually came around to score on a double to give the home side a 2-1 edge.
Nemeth tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth with her solo shot over the outfield fence, sparking an offensive series in the fifth for the Huskies. In the inning, the first two batters successfully reached base before being bunted over to put two in scoring position with one out. Lenner delivered a single up the middle allowing both to score and giving Bloomsburg a 6-4 advantage.
The Rams again would force a tie again, using a flurry of soft singles following a lead-off triple to make it a 6-6 ball game.
Bloomsburg, however, saved its best for last in the seventh.
Bella Culp (Harrisburg, Pa/Central Dauphin) led off the inning with a double, followed by Weidlcih's third hit of game one to place runners on the corners. Lenner dropped a single into left field to give the Huskies a 5-4 lead and kick off the scoring. After another successful sacrifice put two runners in scoring position, Yamrick, Nemeth and Rowe each recorded back-to-back-to-back RBI singles to put Bloomsburg out in front 8-4.
Shepherd grabbed two more of its second home run of the afternoon to cut the Huskies' advantage in half, but it was not enough to mount a full comeback effort.
Game Two:
After a scoreless three innings to start game two, the home Rams got on the scoreboard first.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Shepherd got a runner aboard following an error before a pair of singles broke up Reinoehl's no-hit bit and plated the home side's lone run of game two.
Bloomsburg got the run back in the following inning after
Josie Straigis (Greensburg, Pa./Greater Latrobe) drew a one-out walk. Weidlich continued her strong day at the plate with a drive into the outfield that allowed Straigis to score from first and tie the game at 1-1.
With a threatening, yet scoreless sixth inning from both sides, game two followed suit with the first contest of the afternoon and came down to the final frame.
Once more, the seventh favored the Huskies as another four-run surge propelled the team to the win.
Straigis opened the inning with a double to the fence before being moved over via a bunt. A walk and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Bloomsburg with two outs. Kranzley came through first with a two-run RBI double facing two strikes to make it a 3-1 game. Rowe followed with a two-run single to double the advantage to four and provide the necessary cushion for the win.
In the seventh, Reinoehl did what she had done all day, getting the Rams out via weak contact and leading the charge from the bump and despite going a full seven innings, the senior's day finished at 80 pitches.
On the Horizon:
The Huskies wrap up their weekend road trip at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 14, with a pair of games against Shippensburg.
