Tournament Central
 
BUCKHANNON, Pa. – Gabby Tareila (Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford) and Taylor Knappenberger (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) both homered to give KU a 2-0 lead through five, but seventh-ranked West Virginia Wesleyan College rallied with five runs over the final three innings – including three in the eighth – to down the Kutztown University softball team 5-2 Friday morning in KU's second game of the NCAA Tournament at Culpepper Field.
 
The Golden Bears (31-16) look ahead to an elimination game against the winner of Charleston (WV)-Bloomsburg at 3 p.m. on Friday.
 
Scoreless through three and KU playing as the home team, the Golden Bears saved their first run on the arm of centerfielder Blayse Cholish (Peckville, Pa./Valley View). With a runner on second, Wesleyan hit a single to right-center and sent the runner home. Cholish fired a one-hopper to Tareila at the plate to beat the runner for the out (VIDEO).
 
Tareila used the strong defensive play as a momentum-builder at the plate. Leading off the bottom of the fourth, she belted her fourth homer of the year for a 1-0 KU lead (VIDEO).
 
Knappenberger followed with her first career homer in the fifth inning, driving a ball to straightaway centerfield for a 2-0 lead (VIDEO). It was just her second extra-base hit of the year.
 
Pitcher Savannah Nierintz (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby) kept the Bobcats off the board for the first five innings, but Wesleyan struck with a leadoff homer in the sixth to cut its deficit to 2-1. It followed with a single, sacrifice bunt, and two more singles to tie the game at 2-2 through six.
 
Both teams put runners on the seventh, but Friday's opening game was bound for extra innings.
 
In the top of the eighth, a leadoff walk and sacrifice bunt put a runner on second with one out for Wesleyan. It followed with three-straight hits to drive in two additional runs for a 4-2 lead. After a lineout to the pitcher for the second out, an RBI double gave the Bobcats a three-run cushion in the final frame.
 
Kutztown put its first two batters of the eighth on base to bring the game-tying run to the plate. A groundball double play got Wesleyan out of the first jam. KU was hit by a pitch to give it a second chance to tie the game, but the Golden Bears were unable to crack Wesleyan's lead pitcher.
 
For Wesleyan, All-Region pitcher Hannah Vet came on in relief to pick up the win with 3.2 scoreless innings. She had five strikeouts and one walk in her 24th win of the year.
 
For Kutztown, Nierintz threw a complete game with five strikeouts.