On Monday, April 21, the Bloomsburg University softball team split a pair of games with Philadelphia University. The Huskies won game one, 8-0, and lost game two, 4-2. The team is 21-13 on the season with an 11-1 record against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Central Division opponents. Bloomsburg is in first place in the central division, and Mansfield is in second place at 20-9.
Bloomsburg came into the doubleheader on a nine-game winning streak. Before Monday’s games, the Huskies had not allowed a run in 37 consecutive innings, and had won four games in a row by 8-0 mercy rule decisions.
In game one of the twin bill, Bloomsburg got off to a hot start in the second inning. With the bases loaded, junior Maggie Hall and senior Anna McElroy drew walks that scored sophomores Emily Getz and Alexa Erney. Also in the second inning, sophomore Taylor Winkelman hit an RBI single that brought home junior Erin Smith.
The third inning was much of the same for Bloomsburg, as three more runs were added. Hall, after walking in her previous at-bat and making it all the way to third base, decided that she wanted to go all the way home. Hall hit a two-run home run that scored Smith, who hit an RBI single right before Hall came to the plate. It was Hall’s second home run of the season.
Sophomore outfielder Taylor Winkelman at the plate. In Game 1 against Philadelphia, Winkelman went 3-for-4 with an RBI. On the season, she leads the team with 28 hits and has a .389 average in 113 at-bats.
The Huskies added two more in the fourth inning. Freshman Julia Knight hit an RBI single that scored Winkelman. Senior Holly Peacock grounded out to second base but picked up the final RBI of the game when junior Emily Mayhew came home from third base. With having an eight-run lead, Bloomsburg needed to maintain that lead through five innings to make it a mercy rule.
Luckily for the Huskies, the arm of Taylor Parker made it happen. Parker pitched all five innings, allowing just one hit and a walk while recording seven strikeouts. She picked up her 11th win of the season, and now holds a record of 11-5 on the season. Parker has not allowed a run in four straight starts.
With game one ending in a shutout, Bloomsburg’s streak of not allowing a run extended to 42 innings.
Game two started out quietly, as no runs were scored by either team until the fourth inning. Bloomsburg was the first two strike, when McElroy was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. That resulted in Getz coming home to score, giving the Huskies the early 1-0 advantage.
In the sixth inning, the scoreless streak for Bloomsburg pitchers would come to an end after 47 innings. Senor Gianna Bliss was the one to break the streak, with a single that scored two runs because of a throwing error. Also in the inning, senior Shannon Weaver hit a two-RBI single. It happened that quickly, but the scoreless streak ended, and the Huskies trailed by three with their 10-game win streak on the line.
In the seventh inning, the Huskies added a run when Mayhew hit a double that scored Knight. The deficit was cut in half, but Bloomsburg could not mount a comeback. Senior pitcher Mallory Tomaschik pitched five innings and allowed one run on five hits, two walks and recorded six strikeouts. Redshirt sophomore Alyssa Davies, now 2-2, picked up the loss after allowing the final three runs on two hits in the seventh inning.
“[Monday was] definitely tough, especially when we know that we should have won that second game,” said Natalie Quinlan, a senior on the team. “That stuff does not get us down. We face the loss at it happens, but we walk away from it as a new team.”
This weekend, the Huskies have two away doubleheaders. On Friday, April 21, Bloomsburg will travel to IUP to take on the Lady Hawks, who are 17-14. On Saturday, April 22, the Huskies will be in Mansfield. Depending on what happens on Friday, the division lead could be on the line. These four games will be crucial for the Huskies, with both of these teams hot on their tails in the central division rankings.
“Every one of us knows that we have the chance to go all the way,” Quinlan said. “We’re excited for the weekend, these games will definitely be some good ones.”