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BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (April 22, 2011)—Whoever said that one wasn't enough was proven wrong as the Kutztown University softball team advanced to the final round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships by sweeping defending conference tournament champion Bloomsburg University Friday afternoon at Jan M. Hutchinson Field. Both games were 1-0 victories for Kutztown.
The Golden Bears (39-12) eliminated the Huskies (30-7) who are ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Poll and seventh in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) top 25. Kutztown, ranked sixth in the Atlantic Region poll, will host West Chester (31-17) and Indiana,Pa. (30-6) on Friday and Saturday, April 29-30 at North Campus Field. Tickets will be $7 for adults, and $2 for students each day of the tournament. Students at PSAC institutions are free with valid ID.
Kutztown will be the top seed while IUP will be the No. 2 seed and West Chester the No. 3 seed next weekend. IUP came out on top in a tiebreaker with West Chester based on a higher winning percentage against common opponents.
The last time BU was shutout was on March 6, 2011 against Tampa when it fell 2-0. KU shutout Tampa, 5-0 earlier in the season. Bloomsburg's six game win streak was snapped with its losses to Kutztown.
When leftfielder Jennifer Stow (Glen Mills, PA/Garnet Valley) caught the final out in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Golden Bears rushed from their positions on the field and cleared the bench to celebrate. Hugs, high-fives, and even piggy back rides were exchanged for their momentous victory.
KU used just one run in both games to continue its run at a PSAC title. After suffering a 9-2 loss to BU on Thursday, KU knew that it had to not only compete, but win. The Golden Bears rebounded from their worst loss of the year.
“It's great to leave here knowing that we are still competing in the PSAC Championship,” Kutztown University head coach Judy Lawes said. “They beat us pretty good yesterday. On Thursday, we came to play and Bloom came to win. We changed that up today.”
Bloomsburg couldn't handle senior Monica Glomb (Mars, PA/Mars) as she pitched nearly flawless. Glomb had a perfect game going into the fifth inning of the opener. She allowed just two hits. She combined for eight strikeouts and five hits in Friday's doubleheader.
“Bloom has always been one of our toughest competitors, so to come back today and beat them twice is a huge accomplishment,” Glomb said. “All of my pitches were working well and that kept my confidence up. I just tried to think of it as a regular game. It's so exciting to know that I'll be playing my last PSAC games on our home field. It's unbelievable.”
What's not so unbelievable is that Nicole Henninger (Reading, PA./Muhlenberg) smashed her 15th home run of the season in the fourth inning during the second game. As soon as the ball left her bat the entire stadium knew that it was gone as it sailed over the leftfield fence. Henninger's RBI double scored Stow in first inning of the opening game.
“Yesterday wasn't a good day for me and today I came out refocused,” Henninger said. “I saw the pitch really well and I knew it was gone. Bloom is a good team and we knew that they were here to win. We had to take it from them and that's what we did. It's awesome to be playing at home next week. It's so overdue for us to win a championship and we are coming strong.”
Both teams delivered courageous and spirited performances but Kutztown's bold attitude and fearless approach pushed them to the end. KU has a couple of days to celebrate and sink in the fact that they are hosting the PSAC Championship.
“We are staying the course for preparing for next week's games,” Lawes said. “It's icing on the cake to be hosting and maybe next week we'll take it a little further and hopefully win a conference championship.”
2011 PSAC CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Friday, April 29. 2011
Game 1 - (2) IUP vs. (3) West Chester, 11:00 a.m.
Game 2 - (1) Kutztown vs. Game 1 loser, 1:00 p.m.
Game 3 – (1) Kutztown vs. Game 1 winner, 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 30. 2011
Schedule
Game 4 – 12 noon
Game 5 – 2:00 p.m. (if necessary)
TICKET PRICES/ADMISSION
$7 for adults, $2 for students each day of the tournament.
Students at PSAC institutions are free with valid ID.
