KUTZTOWN, Pa. – No. 19 Kutztown softball began its day falling for the first time in the NCAA Atlantic Regionals, 8-6 to Bloomsburg, but bounced back to stave off elimination Saturday at North Campus Field and defeat Charleston 3-1 to advance to Sunday.
 
The Golden Bears (41-17 overall) now have to beat the Huskies twice on Sunday to advance to Super Regionals later next week.
 
Jenna Piatkiewicz (Fogelsville, Pa./Parkland) and Alexa Stevens (Covington Township, Pa./North Pocono) both finished with four hits on the day with Stevens adding four RBIs and scoring a run, while Piatkiewicz scored a run and had an RBI. Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township) recorded two hits and scored three runs.
 
Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) picked up the win inside the circle in relief in game two. She threw the final five innings of scoreless ball for her 28th victory of the season, putting her in sole possession of second all-time in program history for wins in a season.
 
Game six of regionals and the first game of potentially two against Bloomsburg Sunday is set for 10 a.m., from North Campus Field. If Kutztown wins that game, it will force an if necessary game right after for a shot at Super Regionals later next week against Shippensburg.
 
Bloomsburg 8, Kutztown 6
 
Kutztown faced a deficit from the first inning as Bloomsburg put up three runs in the bottom of the first inning with two RBI singles out of Taylor Kranzley and Emma Little to stake the Huskies to an early 3-0 advantage.
 
After a scoreless second, the Kutztown bats woke up to the tune of four runs in the top of the third as the first four batters reached base safely. Kristin Geesey (Bainbridge, Pa./Elizabethtown) led off with an infield single, followed by back-to-back singles by Piatkiewicz and Stocklin to load the bases with nobody out. Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township) then stepped up and delivered the blow, clearing the bases with a double to tie the score. Two batters later, Stevens found an opening through the left side and recorded an RBI that brought home Darnowski for the go-ahead run and 4-3 lead.
 
The Golden Bears extended their advantage to 5-3 in the top of the fourth. With one out, Stocklin doubled and scored two batters later on a Huskies' throwing error.
 
But in the bottom-half of the fourth, Bloomsburg responded and stunned Kutztown, scoring five runs, bringing 11 batters to the plate, tallying six hits.
 
Huskies starter, Sarah Yamrick settled in the rest of the way and only allowed two hits and a run the rest of the way to earn the victory, her 15th on the year. KU threatened in the final frame as Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) was hit by a pitch to lead off and then Samantha Paetow (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg) singled to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Piatkiewicz recorded a run-scoring single with two outs, but Yamrick induced a ground ball out to end the game.
 
Both Stocklin and Piatkiewicz went 2-for-4 with the former scoring two runs and the latter scoring a run and adding an RBI. Darnowski was 1-for-1 with three RBIs and a run scored. Stevens contributed an RBI and had a hit.
 
Kutztown 3, Charleston 1
 
Kutztown didn't want to lose its second of the day and wanted to keep playing at NCAAs, so it decided to take down the Golden Eagles for the second time during regionals.
 
KU jumped right out in front from the get-go as Stevens doubled to bring around Stocklin for the game's first run.
 
Charleston tied it up at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning on a solo home run by the catcher, Hunter Meyer.
 
The game would remain tied for the next three innings as both KU reliever, Gravish and UC starter, Addison Mass were dealing inside the circle. The Golden Bears, however, rang the bell in the top of the sixth, and once again it was Stevens as the junior second baseman connected on a two-run home run one batter after Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) doubled.
 
The Maroon and Gold's 3-1 advantage stood firm as Gravish closed the door for the final two frames and earned her 28th win of the season inside the circle, throwing five innings of shutout ball, allowing just three hits, while striking out three.

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