WEST CHESTER, Pa. - The Bloomsburg softball team dropped a pair of one-run contests against PSAC East rival West Chester Wednesday afternoon.

The Huskies (18-12, 8-8 PSAC East) dropped a 2-1 game in extra innings to the Golden Rams (22-11, 8-8 PSAC East) to start the day. The momentum got away from Bloomsburg to start the game, and a seventh-inning surge was not enough in a 5-4 defeat.

How It Happened:

Game One:
The Huskies got the start they wanted in the top of the second inning thanks to the power of Emma Little (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn-Trafford). The senior catcher launched her career-high seventh home run of the season to put Bloomsburg up 1-0. 

Pitcher Sarah Yamrick (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot) gave her side a fighting chance throughout her start on Wednesday, going through the first three innings strong with help from her defense. After a leadoff walk to start the game from the Golden Rams, the Huskies turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. In the second, West Chester recorded a double to the gap erased by a strong relay between Carly Wywoda (Dupont, Pa./Holy Cross) and Taylor Kranzley (Northampton, Pa./Northampton), which got the Golden Rams greedy for the extra base. The third inning saw Yamrick strike out the first two batters before retiring the side with a flyout to right field. 

The Huskies struggled on Wednesday to capitalize with runners in scoring position, stranding three and five runners total between the second and fourth innings. The lack of insurance allowed West Chester to capitalize in the bottom of the fourth with two outs, with a double to the wall to tie the game at 1-1. 

Both teams had their chances in the latter innings with runners aboard to break the deadlock but pitching prevailed to force extra innings. Bloomsburg could not muster an offensive with the heart of the order in the batters' box, giving the Golden Rams to finish the game. In the end, West Chester won on an unfortunate series of events in the infield from the Huskies' defense to take game one with two outs. 

Game Two:
The result from the first half of the doubleheader hung over Bloomsburg's head, leading to a sluggish start to the second game. 

The Golden Rams built upon the game-one result with a two-run home run to start things off in the bottom of the first in game two for a 2-0 lead. In the second, the Huskies looked to have escaped a bases-loaded jam before the home plate umpire overturned an out call at first base, allowing a run to score and keeping the inning going for West Chester. The Golden Rams would take advantage of the extra at-bat with a two-out, two-run single to extend the advantage to 5-0. 

The poor luck transpired for most of game two, with the team unable to find the coinciding hits to produce the necessary runs. The Huskies had runners reach safely in each of the first six innings but continued to come up short.

Senior Kelly Eberly (Purcellville, Va/Homeschooled) provided Bloomsburg with stability from the mound following the team's rocky start to game two. The left-handed arm tossed four scoreless innings for the Huskies, giving up just one hit and one walk while striking out five batters. 

Bloomsburg saved its best for last in the seventh inning, coming up one batter short to tie the game. The Huskies rallied for four runs in the inning, with the rally starting with a one-out single from Reagan Wiest (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy). Bella Culp (Harrisburg, Pa/Central Dauphin) kept the inning alive with a two-out walk, setting up Taylor Kranzley (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) for a double to give Bloomsburg its first run. Little stepped into the box and tacked on two more with a single into right field that dropped between three defenders to make it 5-3. Mia Nemeth (Drums, Pa/Marian Catholic) continued to keep the hopes of the Huskies afloat with a gap-splitting double to cut the deficit to one. In the end, five runs proved too much for Bloomsburg to overcome, as a pitching change from West Chester allowed the home side to escape with the sweep. 

Numbers of Note: 
7 - Despite Bloomsburg's success all season, the looming quandary over the Huskies' heads is one-run game results. Bloomsburg has lost its last seven one-run decisions in conference play, including four consecutive games that have gone to extra innings.

1.44 - Eberly's fourth-year campaign has been her best at Bloomsburg. The senior possesses a team-leading 1.44 ERA in 48.2 inning pitched and has 33 strikeouts in her last 22.1.

On the Horizon: 
The Bloomsburg softball team will play its second of four consecutive doubleheaders on the road with a trip to Shippensburg on Saturday, April 12, for a 1:00 p.m. start.