KUTZTOWN, Pa. - The No. 6 seed Bloomsburg softball team moved into prime position at the Kutztown Regional following an 8-6 win over hosts Kutztown Saturday morning.

The Huskies (33-19) jumped out to an early lead before the Golden Bears (40-17) posted four runs in the third to gain a one-run advantage. Kutztown added to its lead in the top of the fourth, but Bloomsburg responded with five runs in the bottom half of the frame to pull out in front for good.

Sarah Yamrick (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot) gutted out a complete game, tallying six strikeouts with six runs allowed. Emma Little (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn-Trafford) came up with timely hitting on multiple occasions Saturday, going 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored. Mia Nemeth (Drums, Pa/Marian Catholic) delivered with a two-run single while Taylor Kranzley (Northampton, Pa./Northampton), Macey Fisher (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin), and Sage Weidlich (Pittston, Pa./Pittston) aided the Huskies' cause with an RBI apiece. 

How It Happened:
After Yamrick worked out of the first with a runner left on third, the Bloomsburg bats went to work. Bella Culp (Harrisburg, Pa/Central Dauphin) began the day for the Huskies with a leadoff walk and reached second on a fielder's choice. With runners on the corners, Kranzley knocked in the first run with a single through the right side of the infield. The Huskies put two runners in scoring position with two outs, and Little served the ball into right field to make it 3-0.

Both teams went scoreless in the second, as Kutztown settled into the contest enough to put its first runs on the board. The Golden Bears loaded the bases, creating a spicy situation on Bloomsburg's plate. A fourth consecutive base hit cleared the bases after the ball skipped past a defender and rolled to the outfield fence, allowing Kutztown to tie the contest at 3-3. The fifth hit of the inning put the Golden Bears out in front, 4-3. Kutztown's lead grew to two after a runner on second rounded and scored following an error on a bunt attempt. 

Despite the setbacks, the Huskies did not leave the inning on an empty stomach, drumming up a five-run fourth to secure an 8-5 advantage. Weidlich and Culp started things with back-to-back singles. With one out, Nemeth delivered a line drive into the right-center gap to send both runners around third base to tie the game at 5-5. Bloomsburg continued to sauce up the game with the bases loaded - Little produced her second run-scoring hit of the afternoon to put the Huskies back on top, 6-5. Bloomsburg took little nibbles at the Golden Bears' offerings from the mound, with Fisher drawing a walk to plate one before Weidlich single through the left side of the infield to cap off the inning with a three-run cushion.

The temperature on the game turned mild through the fifth and sixth innings, as the offensive sizzle flattened heading into the latter stages of the contest. With the game on the line in the seventh, Kutztown did not go down without a final crack at the dish. A hit-by-pitch and single put two aboard with nobody out and the tying run at the plate. Yamrick and the Husky defense got the lead runner via a fielder's choice on consecutive at-bats to put two outs on the board. The Golden Bears managed to cut into the deficit with an RBI single, but Yamrick got the job done off a busy inning for Fisher at third to secure the win. 

Numbers of Note: 
8 - The eight runs for the Huskies were a welcome sight after a nailbiting 1-0 game on Thursday. The total scored on Saturday is the most runs by the Huskies in the NCAA Tournament game since 2014.

6 - The Bloomsburg team does not tend to surrender a large number of runs. Saturday's game was just the seventh time this giving up six or more runs. The win gives the team a 3-4 record in such scenarios and 1-1 this postseason. 

On the Horizon:
The Huskies are back in action on Sunday, May 11, at 10:00 a.m. against hosts Kutztown for a spot in the Atlantic Super Regionals.