BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg softball team continued its winning ways into the midweek with a doubleheader sweep over Mansfield at Jan Hutchinson Field Tuesday afternoon.

The Huskies (14-6, 4-2 PSAC East) were in a tightly contested battle against the Mountaineers (4-12, 2-6 PSAC East) to open the day with a final result of 4-3 in game one. Bloomsburg got two vital runs in the bottom of the sixth off extra-base hits from Taylor Kranzley (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) and Allie Wenrich (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin). 

Game two saw the Huskies grab and hold onto the lead from beginning to end before finishing with six runs in the final two innings to end the game early. Bloomsburg received a reliable outing on the mound from Kelly Eberly (Purcellville, Va/Homeschooled), with the senior tossing a complete game, giving up one run while striking out nine batters. Mia Nemeth (Drums, Pa/Marian Catholic) was the leader in the clubhouse to close the day offensively. The senior outfielder went 3-for-4 in game two with a double, a triple and three RBI to propel her side to the win. 

How It Happened:

Game One:
The day opened with both teams able to find paths to get on the scoreboard early and put pressure on the opposing pitchers. Following a leadoff single and sacrifice bunt from Mansfield, the Mountaineers used a good piece of two-strike hitting to lace a single into the outfield and jump out to an early 1-0 advantage. Starter Callie Sowers (Irwin, Pa/Hempfield Area) responded well in the following at-bat, getting the next Mansfield batter down swinging.

The Huskies picked up their starter, getting the run back in the bottom half of the frame to tie the contest at 1-1. Bloomsburg mounted its own two-out rally from the heart of the order. Emma Little (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn-Trafford) took the first pitch she saw on the day and sent the ball over the outstretched glove of the Mountaineers' right fielder. Nemeth made her way into the box and, facing a 1-2 count, got a double with a troublesome piece of hitting that got lost in the afternoon sun.

Sowers' subsequent inning was a dominant display, striking out the side to continue building the momentum in favor of the home side. In the bottom of the second, Carly Wywoda (Dupont, Pa./Holy Cross) started things with a four-pitch walk before getting moved over by a sacrifice bunt. The junior outfielder was alert on the bases, eventually scoring on two wild pitches from Mansfield's starter to put her team up 2-1.

The bats cooled off for both teams as the pitchers and defenses held the score firm at 2-1 before the final two innings of the opening contest. In the bottom of the sixth, the Huskies managed another two runs on the scoreboard to extend the lead to 4-1. Kranzley drove a well-struck ball over the fence in left-center field for the second baseman's first home run of 2025 and a 3-1 advantage. Bloomsburg ended the inning with a replicated scene from the first. Josie Straigis (Greensburg, Pa./Greater Latrobe) got herself on base with a two-out, two-strike double that found the gap in left field. The sophomore passed things off to the freshman, as Wenrich followed with a double to the opposite gap to make the edge three runs.

Those runs proved vital for the Huskies, as it was the insurance needed to come away with the win. The Mountaineers led off the top of the seventh with a single into left field. After the next two batters fouled out, Mansfield got another pivotal piece of two-out hitting, this time with a home run ball carried over the fence in center field on a blustery day. Sowers maintained her composure, recording the final out herself on the second pitch with a ground out and tossing the ball over to first base to seal the win. Sowers ended her day with her sixth game of the season with at least nine strikeouts.

Game Two:
Bloomsburg improved on its game one performance with a strong display in game two, leading to a 9-1, six-inning win. The Huskies jumped to a 3-0 lead after two innings and did not look back.

After Eberly struck out two of the first three batters in the top half of the first, the Bloomsburg lineup started the scoring in the second. Bella Culp (Harrisburg, Pa/Central Dauphin) began game two with a single off the first pitch before Little reached base after getting hit by the first pitch she saw in the contest. Nemeth delivered from the cleanup spot once more, getting a single into space that skipped past the center fielder and drove in the two base runners for the early 2-0 edge. In the second, Malauni Frost (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) recorded her first career home run, an inside-the-park four-bagger on a ball that was not corralled in time by the Mansfield outfield to push the advantage to three runs. 

Both pitchers found a groove through the middle innings before the Huskies returned to work at the plate in the bottom of the fifth. Sarah Yamrick (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot) opened the inning with a hard-hit leadoff single and moved into scoring position following another sacrifice bunt. Nemeth answered the call with the outfielder's first triple of the season to make it a 4-0 game. The lead continued to grow, with Wenrich coming through with two outs, turning on the first pitch she saw, and smacking a laser down the third-base line for the outfielder's second RBI two-bagger of the afternoon. 

Facing troublesome scenarios in her final two innings, Eberly kept attacking the zone and the Mansfield batters to continue piecing together a solid outing. In the top of the fifth, the Mountaineers loaded the bases with two outs from two singles and a fielder's choice. The senior leveraged her experience and fought to a 2-2 count, resulting in a weak fly ball to center field to escape the jam. Mansfield got one run back in the sixth, with back-to-back hits on the first pitch, making it a 5-1 game and putting another runner on third. Eberly got support from her defense, forcing two ground balls handled by the infield to minimize the damage and set up her side for the victory.

The first two batters reached for Bloomsburg in the bottom of the sixth, with Reagan Wiest (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) drawing a five-pitch walk and Sage Weidlich (Pittston, Pa./Pittston) recording an infield single. Both runners eventually moved into scoring position, allowing Culp to capitalize at the top of the order with an RBI single through the left side of the infield. With runners on the corners, Little brought the game's close within reach from an RBI single to center to make it 7-1. Two batters later, Kranzley called the game by squeaking a single through the middle of the infield to plate the final two runners of the day and secure the doubleheader sweep. 

Numbers of Note
20 - Nemeth is the first player for the Huskies this season to reach 20 RBI, marking a tremendous surge from the senior. The outfielder is two away from matching her previous career-best (22) with over half of the regular season to play.

8 - Eberly's effort in game two resulted from effective pitching, debilitating the Mansfield lineup. The senior left-hander recorded a season-high nine strikeouts in six innings of work on Tuesday, getting the Mountaineers to swing and miss on the third strike on eight occasions. Eberly's presence on the bump has been the model of consistency this season, with the pitcher not surrendering more than five hits and two runs in an appearance.

9 - Bloomsburg's offense has catalyzed success in its latest string of conference games. The Huskies have posted nine or more runs in three of their last four, winning all three contests by a run-rule decision. Heading into the PSAC slate, Bloomsburg had posted nine or more runs twice and earned a run-rule victory on three occasions. 

On The Horizon:
The Huskies are on the road for their first away games of the PSAC slate, beginning Friday, March 28, at 2:00 p.m. against Kutztown.