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The Bloomsburg University softball team has advanced to the next round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament this past weekend. Overall, the Huskies went 3-1, avoiding double elimination against Kutztown. Going into the tournament, Bloomsburg remained the top ranked team in the NCAA Division II Regional Poll.
Game one for Bloomsburg showed the team facing the Edinboro Fighting Scots. The Huskies came out ready to play as usual, scoring a run in the first inning. The bottom of the second saw no different, when Bloomsburg manufactured and tacked on two more runs. Junior Shavaun Fisher was solid on the mound the whole game and worked quickly to end the final inning by taking care of it herself. She struck out the first batter, retrieved a grounder for the second out and struck out the third batter. Overall, Fisher allowed just two hits, one walk and struck out an impressive 11 batters.
Nikki Shiko went 3 for 4, while Lori Neyhard went 2 for 3 with two RBI. The final score of 4-0 gave Bloomsburg with the right attitude to take on their rival, the Kutztown Golden Bears.
All season long there has been a huge rivalry between the two teams, and right off the bat fans could feel the focus and energy intensifying between them. After giving up a hit, Fisher had back-to-back strikeouts in the first inning, pumping up the confidence of her team. It wasn't until the third inning that the Huskies put one on the board, when a bases loaded blooper to left field scored Danielle Lazorka. The bottom of the third ended with an amazing play by the Golden Bears' second baseman, Krista Tedjeske, snagging a line drive up the middle, enabling Kutztown to avoid further damage.
If it's one thing an opponent knows, it is to never get behind on the Huskies, as it will always come back to haunt them. Unfortunately for the Golden Bears, Bloomsburg added on two more runs to their lead in the bottom of the fourth. Outfielder Casey Massimini reached first on an infield bunt then stole second. Shiko then singled up the middle to score Massimini, then Lazorka drove in Shiko, who was arguably thrown out at home.
The final of the first showdown between Bloomsburg and Kutztown showed Bloomsburg on top, with a score of 3-2. Fisher once again led the Huskies to victory by striking out six and picking up her 25th win.
Game one of Saturday's play showed Kutztown coming back with a vengeance. The Golden Bears took advantage of four errors made by Bloomsburg. This was a sad loss for the Huskies, as Fisher allowed just one earned run. The heart wrenching 10-3 loss for Bloomsburg forced a winner-take-all game that was played consecutively after.
The elimination game that followed was intense from the start. Kutztown took a quick four run lead. But as always, Bloomsburg answered back in true Husky form by scoring six runs in the fourth inning. Fisher shut down the usually dominant Golden Bear offense for the rest of the game, leaving a final score of 7-5.
With the win, Bloomsburg eliminated their hard-hitting rival Kutztown, and further advanced to the next round of the PSAC Tournament, the Championship Series.
Shiko commented on the team's work ethic by saying, "I think that our team's success has come from our abilities to work as a team and do the fundamentals correctly. What we practice everyday are the situations that might occur in a game and our abilities to be able to perfect those are what makes us able to get out of jams or not tense up in tough situations. Coach is always stressing that any team can practice and be able to perform well when it's easy, but it is perfecting those tough situations and hard plays that help us get through games."
When asked about the uniqueness of the team this year, as opposed to her previous seasons, she had nothing but positive feedback. Shiko said "I think that's what separates our team this year from our teams play in previous years, is our confidence under pressure. If you are in a tight situation or jam, one of the worst things to do is tense up and worry, because then you can't perform at the level you are capable of. We have done a great job this year on not tensing up and have been able to push through those sticky situations."
The 2010 PSAC Tournament Championship Series begins this Friday, April 30, here at Bloomsburg. Teams included are the Huskies, West Chester, and California. As it did last weekend, the Tournament will follow a double elimination structure.
The first game for Bloomsburg is Friday at 1 p.m., when they will take on the loser of the California vs. West Chester match. Here, the team hopes to further advance in the playoffs and bring that National Championship trophy home for retiring Head Coach, Jan Hutchinson.
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