KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Senior pitcher Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) did not allow a run in 15 innings of work and freshman Caitlin Ashley (Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford) connected on a pinch-hit home run in the top of the eighth inning of game two in just her second career plate appearance as No. 19 Kutztown won both games against Bloomsburg Sunday at North Campus Field, 6-0 and 1-0, in the NCAA Atlantic Regionals to advance to Super Regionals later this week.
 
The Golden Bears (43-17 overall) needed to take both from the Huskies (33-21) because of BU's 8-6 victory in Saturday's game three.
 
Gravish was a star inside the circle Sunday, firing her two best outings of the season, throwing complete game shutouts and finishing the day with her 30th win of the season, tying the program record for wins in a season.
 
With the score tied 0-0 in the top of the eighth inning and somebody needing to step up at the plate, Ashley received the call and did just that. Head coach Judy Lawes inserted her into the lineup as a pinch hitter to lead off the frame and, on the second pitch she saw, ripped a drive that flew over the left field fence for a monstrous HR.
 
Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township) finished with three hits on the day to bring her career total to 272, tied for third most in program history. Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) led the lineup with four hits and had an RBI. Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township) tallied two hits and added two RBIs and scored two runs, connecting on a home run in game one. Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) had a hit, an RBI and scored a run and both Kristin Geesey (Bainbridge, Pa./Elizabethtown) and Samantha Paetow (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg) tallied a hit and an RBI.
 
Kutztown will now take on Shippensburg, the winner of the other regional pod, in a best-of-three series, to go to the NCAA National Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn. Game one is scheduled for Thursday from North Campus Field at a time to be determined.
 
Kutztown 6, Bloomsburg 0
 
Gravish was on her game. She took the ball and threw one of her best games of her career, limiting Bloomsburg base runners and keeping the Huskies off the scoreboard. It was her third shutout of the season and set the tone for the day.
 
The Kutztown lineup did its part to make sure the senior right hander earned the win in the circle. They scored a run in both the first and second innings and added two in each of the fourth and sixth innings.
 
In the bottom of the first inning, Slomkowski was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in the first run, and then Henn singled to center field in the second, bringing home Jenna Piatkiewicz (Fogelsville, Pa./Parkland) for the early 2-0 lead after two.
 
After a scoreless third inning, the Golden Bears put themselves in even better shape as they doubled up their advantage thanks to a two-run home run by Darnowski, her ninth of the season. In the sixth, the Maroon and Gold added on to their lead with back-to-back RBI singles by Paetow and Geesey.
 
Gravish allowed just four hits and struck out four batters.
 
Kutztown 1, Bloomsburg 0
 
Once again Gravish had a strong outing, allowing just six hits and not giving up a run in nine innings of work. She tied the program record for wins in a season (30) along the way.
 
Bloomsburg starter, Callie Sowers, was going toe-to-toe with Gravish as each threw seven scoreless innings before Kutztown finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the eighth, thanks to the pinch-hit home run by Ashley.
 
It wasn't all smooth sailing for Gravish as the Huskies had base runners in all but two innings and had runners at either second or third base in four of the innings. But the senior was dialed in all day and continued to find ways to get outs when she needed to most and keep BU off the scoreboard.
 
Stocklin finished with two hits and each of Darnowski, Henn, Slomkowski and Ashley had one.

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