CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Bloomsburg softball team was eliminated from the Charleston Regional with a 3-1 defeat to Gannon Friday afternoon. 

Despite recording 10 hits on the day and piecing together threatening scenarios, the Huskies could not find the timely hits necessary to grab the win. 

The Bloomsburg softball team finished the 2024 season with a 33-24 record. Gannon improves to 32-14 and will take on host Charleston in the second elimination game of the day.

How It Happened:
The second game of the Regional started the same as game one, with a few scoreless innings. The Huskies got some help from behind the dish with a laser throw from Emma Little (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn-Trafford) to throw out a runner on a stolen base attempt. 

The Golden Knights found the scoreboard with their first of three home runs on the day to take a 1-0 from nine-hole hitter Bella Atherton in the top of the third.

Bloomsburg had its first major opportunity with a chance to respond in the bottom half of the frame. With one out, Bella Culp (Harrisburg, Pa/Central Dauphin) and Sage Weidlich (Pittston, Pa./Pittston) recorded back-to-back singles before a dropped ball at third base loaded the bases. The Huskies' woes with the bases juiced continued as the team could not find one at a pivotal moment.

Gannon doubled its lead in the fifth with another solo home run to lead off the inning. 

Bloomsburg cut into the deficit in the fifth, stringing together a series of singles. Culp opened the bottom of the fifth with her second hit of the day before being bunted over by Weidlich. Kayleigh Lenner (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) singled through the middle of the infield to put runners on the corners with one out. Taylor Kranzley (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) tapped in the lone run of the afternoon for the Huskies with a squeeze bunt to make it a 2-1 game. 

The third home run of the game in the top of the seventh added important insurance in the one-out at-bat. 

Bloomsburg looked to rally with its final chance in the bottom of the seventh. Mia Nemeth (Drums, Pa/Marian Catholic) got things with a lead-off single, but a fielder's choice stagnated the Huskies' momentum.

With two outs, Lenner again singled to place runners on the corners. In the end, a grounder up the middle was just stopped by the Golden Knights' shortstop to bring an end to Bloomsburg's season.

With 33 wins on the season, Bloomsburg finishes with its most victories in a year since 2016.

On The Horizon:
The Huskies season comes to an end as they switch focus and prepare for the 2025 campaign.