KUTZTOWN, Pa. - The Bloomsburg softball team's season came to a heartbreaking conclusion after a pair of losses on Sunday's final day of the Kutztown Regional.

The Huskies (33-21) were held scoreless across 15 innings of action against the Golden Bears (43-17). Kutztown forced a winner-take-all conclusion with a 6-0 decision in the first contest of the day before coming out on top in a dramatic 1-0 decision in extra innings.

How It Happened:

Game One:
The day looked to be on the front foot for the Huskies, with a strong start to the first inning. Back-to-back singles from Taylor Kranzley (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) and Mia Nemeth (Drums, Pa/Marian Catholic) put two aboard before a wild pitch and put both runners in scoring position with one out. That opportunity would be one of Bloomsburg's best in the opening contest, coming up short and opening the window for the hosts.

The window allowed Kutztown to take a 2-0 lead through the first two innings. The Golden Bears capitalized on a bases-loaded opportunity created by two walks and a single with a hit-by-pitch to plate one in the first. Although the Huskies escaped with minimal damage, Kutztown would take advantage of an error with a two-out RBI single to provide a two-run advantage. 

Bloomsburg's last threat to score in game one came in the third after a Nemeth single and a walk from Allie Wenrich (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin) put two aboard with two outs. Unlike the Golden Bears, the Huskies could not find a gap in the defense to apply any pressure. Kutztown rallied behind a strong pitching performance with a two-run home run in the fourth and a pair of insurance runs on RBI singles to force one final game.

Game Two:
The winds of fate did not have Bloomsburg in its favor on Sunday afternoon, with the Huskies narrowly missing on chances to reclaim lost momentum. After starter Callie Sowers (Irwin, Pa/Hempfield Area) retired the side to begin her day, Bloomsburg put itself in a prime position to make an early statement. A two-strike single from Sarah Yamrick (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot) and a six-pitch walk from Kranzley put two on with two outs. Wenrich took the first of the following at-bat to deep left field with the wind getting enough of the ball to push it back into play and allow the Golden Bears' left fielder to go over the fence and make a tough catch to rob a potential home run. 

The Huskies continued to have opportunities with scoring position in the following innings, seeming to be one hit away from making a difference. Bloomsburg left a runner on second base stranded in the bottom of the second before another deep fly ball remained in the park with two aboard to keep the game scoreless. 

Kutztown's best chance to score in the standard seven innings came after loading the bases with three singles in the top of the fourth. With the bases juiced and two outs, Sowers kept her team in the game by getting the last batter to fly out on the first pitch. Before extra innings, the Huskies' best opportunity to score came in the fifth after Sage Weidlich (Pittston, Pa./Pittston) eventually made her way to third after leading off the inning with a bunt single. With only one out on the scoreboard, a shallow fly ball was not enough leeway to give the runner a chance before the final out of the inning. In the sixth, another runner remained on second, with both entering the eighth with zero runs.

Just as the winds had been unkind to Bloomsburg, the Golden Bears got the nudge they needed to take the game. A pinch hitter led off the eighth inning and provided the one swing that changed the game with a home run in a similar spot to the Huskies' robbed bomb in the first to make it 1-0. Although Sowers gave the Huskies a chance with just the one run allowed, Bloomsburg could not stack the necessary at-bats following a leadoff single from Yamrick to continue the game and their season.

Numbers of Note: 
8 - This marks the second time this season the Huskies have faced an unfortunate extra-inning result on the Golden Bears' home turf. The first game of the regular-season doubleheader on Kutztown's home turf was a 2-1 result in eight innings on March 28.

10 | 13 - Sunday was a day of unfortunate bounces for the Bloomsburg softball team. The near-misses at the plate added up when it mattered most. The Huskies had more runners left on base (13) between the two games than total hits (10).