Box Score
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Bloomsburg scored twice in the bottom of the third and rode the arm of Tara Reed the rest of the way to eliminate West Chester from the 2009 NCAA Atlantic Region-2 Tournament with a 2-0 shutout at North Campus Field Saturday afternoon.
In a losers’ bracket elimination game, West Chester (28-20) mustered just four singles, but still left the bases loaded in the sixth and the tying runs at second and third in the seventh.
“We just didn’t get the big hit when we needed it,” head coach Diane Lokey said.
Ninth-ranked Bloomsburg (35-10) takes on West Virginia Wesleyan later today in a rematch of a first-round contest that the Huskies dropped, 2-1, on Friday.
Bloomsburg wanted no part of Megan Harbaugh in the fourth when she stepped to the plate with a runner on second and two outs. Reed walked the Golden Rams’ cleanup hitter on five pitches, then retired the next batter to get out of the inning.
Harbaugh stepped to the plate again in the sixth with runners at second and third and two outs when Reed, again, pitched around the slugger, walking her on five pitches. Then, Reed retired the next batter to preserve the Huskies’ two-run lead.
The game featured 15 singles, no extra-base hits at all, in a pitcher’s duel between Reed (15-6) and West Chester’s senior left-hander Shannon Padula (17-13).
Bloomsburg plated both its runs in the third with two outs in the frame. Nikki Shiko pulled off a bunt single with one man out, then stole second. Lacy Mauro struck out looking before Reed singled to left, knocking in Shiko from second. Reed moved up to second on the throw to the plate that was late.
Mandy Koch walked, and Reed stole third. Emily Young then singled up the middle, scoring Reed. Lori Neyhard walked before Jenna Hampton grounded out to second to end the inning.
Erin MacNamee finished 2-for-4 on the day and went 4-for-8 overall in the NCAA Tournament. Kate Kmiencinski and Stef Kerbacher had the other two hits for the Golden Rams.
Padula went the distance in the loss, yielding 11 hits and two runs. She walked two and struck out three. Bloomsburg left 12 runners on base. West Chester left seven on base.
Reed picked up the complete-game shutout, surrendering four hits, walking three and striking out four.
West Chester seniors Padula, Harbaugh, Meghan Halberstadt and Kristin McCoy end their college careers having played a major role in the most successful four-year period in Golden Rams’ softball history.
