Box Score CALIFORNIA, Pa. – Junior catcher
Erin Quense hit a pair of home runs, and senior pitcher
Kim Murl threw a two-hit shutout as West Chester topped 12th-ranked California (Pa.), 2-0, in the final of the NCAA DII Atlantic Region 1 pod at Lilley Field Saturday afternoon.
West Chester (39-19), advances to the NCAA Atlantic Super Regional to play West Virginia Wesleyan (44-13), who defeated Shippensburg twice in the final of the Atlantic Region 2 pod on Sunday. It marks the second straight year in which the Golden Rams have reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II Softball Tournament. Cal finishes its season at 37-7.
"Kim Murl was awesome today," West Chester University head coach Diane Lokey said. "She kept the hitters off balance all day. We made a simple adjustment at the plate with Quense, and it worked. It was textbook, too, worked to perfection."
Quense led off the top of the third inning with a blast down the left field line that stayed fair. Lokey said she knew it was fair the whole way. Quense had other thoughts.
"I figured it would hook foul like most of my shots down the line," Quense explained. "The second one I knew right off the bat that I had gotten all of it. I have to give all the credit to (hitting coach John Lawson). He worked with me on relaxing at the plate sliding my hands up the bat just a bit."
Quense's fifth-inning blast was to dead center.
All the while, Murl sailed along piecing together her two-hit masterpiece and baffling the Cal hitters.
"She was great today," Quense beamed. "Coach (Margaret Kichler) kept calling the drop, and it was right there all game."
Murl (21-9) walked two and struck out one in seven innings of work, throwing a total of 84 pitches. Cal starter, Alex Sagl (25-4) suffered a loss to West Chester for the second time in as many days. She threw 6.2 innings, surrendering both home runs while scattering four hits and striking out four. She did not walk a batter.
West Chester and West Virginia Wesleyan will play a best-of-three series next weekend to determine who represents the Atlantic Region in the NCAA Division II Softball National Semifinals in Salem, Va., later in the month.
NOTES: West Chester improved its all-time record in the NCAA Tournament to 7-6 with the win … West Chester has now won 10 of its last 11 games played at Lilley Field on the campus of California University of Pa. … West Chester improves to 4-1 all-time against Cal in the NCAA Tournament and 5-2 overall in postseason play (including the PSAC Tournament) … West Chester has won 5 of the last 6 meetings with Cal … West Chester is 4-0 against nationally ranked opponents.
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