QUAKERTOWN, Pa.- The top-seeded West Chester University softball team (36-16) opened the PSAC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon vs Bloomsburg and despite leading for almost the entire game fell to the upset-minded Huskies by a 6-5 final in eight innings.
Bloomsburg threatened in the first with a one-out double before
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) and the Golden Rams worked out of trouble to keep the game scoreless.
In the bottom of the first, West Chester loaded the bases and got the first run of the game via a bases-loaded walk by
Haleigh Karcher (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson), which also kept the bases loaded with no outs. West Chester doubled its lead moments later courtesy of a sac fly by
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest).
Two runs was all West Chester would get in the first inning, but the Golden Rams added another in the second via an RBI double off the bat of
Katelyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove), which scored
Emma Zoldi (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) who had doubled to start the inning.
Aguilar reached on an error to leadoff the third and, after stealing second, came around to score on an RBI single up the middle by
Olivia Mock (Clifton, Va./Paul V) to make it a 4-0 lead with one out in the third.
Bloomsburg got a pair of runners on to start the fourth and cut the Golden Ram lead to one with a three-run home run to left center off the bat of Emma Little. Ciliberto settled in after this and worked out of the inning quickly with a pair of groundouts and a liner back to the circle to keep a slim lead intact heading into the home fourth.
After a scoreless bottom of the fourth, Ciliberto worked around an early base runner once again the in the top of the fifth before Mock came through in a big way with a solo shot to left center, making the score 5-3 in favor of West Chester in the bottom of the fifth. West Chester looked to add more as the inning continued, but the Huskies escaped the frame without further damage to trail by two heading into the sixth.
Bloomsburg countered with two runs of its own in the top of the sixth to even the score at 5-5, which closed the book on Ciliberto who exited in favor of
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton).
Edwards stranded the runner on second to keep the game tied at 5-5 head into the bottom of the sixth. Bloomsburg put together a 1,2,3 inning in the sixth, striking out a pair of Golden Rams to end the frame and keep things tied at 5.
Edwards worked a scoreless top of the seventh, ending the frame with a strikeout to give West Chester a chance to win the game in walkoff fashion in the home half of the seventh. Mock worked a one-out walk and moved to second via a sac bunt from
Abigail Quinn (Cheltenham, Pa./William Penn) before Bloomsburg escaped the inning with a strikeout to force extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, Bloomsburg took its first lead of the afternoon with an RBI double, forcing to WCU to score at least one run in the bottom of the eighth to extend the game. Rittenbaugh gave
West Chester hope with a one-out single through the left side before Bloomsburg worked out of the inning to pick up a 6-5 comeback victory over the Golden Rams.
Ciliberto pitched the first 5.1 allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out four.
Lillian Gray got the start for Bloomsburg and lasted for just the first inning, allowing two runs on one hit and three walks before exiting for Lindsay Reinohl who pitched the next three innings, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks. Callie Sowers entered in relief and pitched the next four innings allowing just two hits and one walk to earn the victory over the upset-minded Golden Rams.
Edwards was saddled with the loss after allowing one run on one hit while walking one and striking out a pair over her 2.2 innings of work.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action this evening against Gannon in an elimination game beginning in approximately 20 minutes.
