DRIFTON, Pa. (April 28, 2012)—The Kutztown University softball team was eliminated from the 2012 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships after a 9-1 setback to Lock Haven University in six innings, Saturday afternoon at the ASA of PA Jake Kislan Softball Complex.

PSAC Tournament Central

The Golden Bears (45-4 overall) entered the contest ranked second in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 poll, the highest mark in school history. KU entered Saturday's game as the top-seed from the PSAC East Division and is currently first in the NCAA Atlantic Regional Poll.

Lock Haven (28-17) will face Bloomsburg University in an elimination game later on Saturday. The winner of that game will meet Indiana (Pa.) in the championship, which is set to take place on Sunday, April 29 at noon.

Kutztown's bats never really got going which made it hard for it to connect hits. The Bald Eagles outhit the Golden Bears 12-6 and used three home runs, two from Sarah Schwalm to take control of the game.

Schwalm hit her first homer of the day in the bottom of the second inning. With two outs, Schwalm belted a three-run homer to give Lock Haven the 3-0 advantage. Lock Haven also scored a run in the fourth after Alicia Cacciotti singled to left field to score Brittany Favazza who reached on a single.

However, Kutztown cut LHU's lead to 4-1 in the fifth inning. Morgan Booth (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) led off the inning by reaching on an error. She then stole second base and advanced to third off an infield single by Jackie Hetzler (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) (Turnersville, N.J./ Washington Twp.). Kelly Strittmatter (Wyckoff, NJ/Indian Hills) (Wyckoff, N.J./ Indian Hills) reached on a fielder's choice to score Booth.

The Bald Eagles responded in the sixth when Schwalm hit a two-run homer, pushing the lead to 6-1. Favazza stretched LHU's advantage to 8-1 after she hit a two-run home run while Chelsea Edwards sealed the deal with two outs after her hit to centerfield scored Bridgette Clark to end the game.

Hetzler recorded two hits while Heather Hannum (Horsham, PA/Hatboro-Horsham) (Horsham, Pa./ Hatboro-Horsham) and Strittmatter finished with one hit each.

Samantha Derr (Lititz, PA/Warwick) (Lititz, Pa./ Warwick) slipped to 26-2 on the season. Derr finished with two strikeouts. She also tallied two hits against the Bald Eagles. Mary Kociencki (Columbia, N.J./Sparta ) (Columbia, N.J./Sparta) appeared in the third inning and closed the game with three strikeouts.

The Golden Bears will await the NCAA Division II Selection Show that airs on NCAA.com on Monday, April 30 at 10 a.m. A field of 64 teams will be announced to compete in regional tournaments hosted across the nation.