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BLOOMSBURG—Bloomsburg University will host the 2003 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Softball Championships to be held this Friday and Saturday, May 2-3 at Jan Hutchinson Field on the Upper Campus of Bloomsburg University. Tickets to each day's games are $7 for adults and $2 for students, with no passes being accepted for admission.
The double elimination tournament features the top two seeds from the East and West divisions of the PSAC. Bloomsburg is the top seed in the East, with Shippensburg earning the second seed from the East. From the West division, California (PA) is the number one seed, while Indiana (PA) enters the Championships as the second seed.
The tournament will begin Friday morning at 10 a.m. when Bloomsburg will square off against Indiana (PA) in Game #1. Game #2 will feature Shippensburg against California (PA) at 12 p.m. on Friday. The losers from the first two games will square off in the first elimination game (Game #3) on Friday at 2 p.m., while the winners from the first two games will play in Game #4 beginning Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. The winner of Game #4 will lock up a spot in Saturday's Championship Round.
Saturday's games begin with Game #5 at 11 a.m., with the winner advancing to the Championship Round (Game #6) Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. Game #7, if necessary, will be played Saturday at 3 p.m.
Bloomsburg (33-9, 20-4 in the PSAC East) comes into this weekend's action looking to claim its third straight PSAC Championship and 15th overall. The Huskies are led by their 1.08 team ERA and timely hitting. Junior pitcher Amber Cowher (Williamsport/Williamsport) has been the ace of the staff with a record of 17-5 and an ERA of 1.22. She has 15 complete games and 12 shutouts in 24 appearances on the year. Cowher held opponents to a .156 batting average and struck out 159 batters in 138 innings pitched. Cowher claimed PSAC East Pitcher of the Week honors three times throughout the season for her efforts. Jamie Wilson (Olyphant/Bishop O'Hara), who claimed one PSAC East Pitcher of the Week award this year, is 8-3 with a 0.68 ERA on the season. Wilson has five complete games and four shutouts in 13 appearances over 72 innings pitched on the year.
Offensively, the Huskies are hitting .271 as a team. Bloomsburg is led by junior outfielder Jess Shnyder (Milton/Milton) who leads the team with a .367 batting average, seven home runs and 28 RBI. Sophomore Deanna Wolfe (Milton/Milton) is second with a .349 average to go along with two homers and 19 RBI. Senior Liza Pepper (Cumbola/Pottsville) is hitting .282 with 10 runs batted in on the season.
Shippensburg (30-12, 17-7 in the PSAC East) enters play looking for its first PSAC Championship in school history. The Lady Raiders combine solid hitting (.298 team average) with strong pitching (a 1.38 team ERA) to win ballgames. The top hitter on the team is sophomore outfielder Liz Corr. She is hitting a team-high .414 and has 24 runs scored, also tops on the squad. Sophomore third baseman Jessica Miller is second on the team with a .381 batting average, while sophomore second baseman Beth Rudai is third with a .336 batting average. Sophomore outfielder Jamie Dacey is fourth on the team with a .331 batting average, while also tying for the team lead in RBI with 25.
On the mound, Shippensburg is led by freshman Kelley Tiesi and junior Nicole Brunt. Tiesi leads the team with a 15-4 record and a 0.84 ERA. She has 14 complete games and seven shutouts in 25 appearances this season. Opponents are hitting just .166 against Tiesi in 133 innings pitched. She has struck out 155, while walking just 12 batters on the year. Brunt is 11-5 with a 1.61 ERA on the year. She has 10 complete games and one shutout in 19 appearances.
California (PA) (24-4, 17-3 in the PSAC West) comes into this weekend's play looking for its sixth PSAC Championship and first since its run of five straight titles from 1996-2000. The Vulcans are a strong offensive team, hitting .315 as a unit this year. They are led by freshman pitcher/first baseman Becky Mezyk who is hitting .415 with three home runs and 17 RBI. Junior second baseman Gabrielle Rendon is second with a .364 batting average. Senior pitcher Amber Riegel is hitting .302 with a team-high 23 RBI. Riegel is also tied for the team lead in homers with three.
On the mound, Mezyk and Riegel are the team's top two hurlers. Mezyk is 11-1 with a 1.51 ERA, eight complete games and three shutouts, while Riegel is 11-2 with a .159 ERA, 13 complete games (out of 13 starts) and four shutouts. As a team, California (PA) has committed only 34 errors on the season, good enough for a .960 fielding percentage.
Indiana (PA) (24-14, 15-5 in the PSAC West) enters play seeking its first ever PSAC Championship. The Indians are hitting .293, while holding opponents to a .251 batting average against. Leading the offense is sophomore third baseman Lauren Lyle. Lyle is hitting a team-high .411, while driving in 22 runs on the year. Freshman outfielder Erica Templin is second with a .336 batting average. Freshman pitcher Sarah White leads the Indians in both home runs and RBI with seven and 24, respectively.
The pitching staff is led by Jodie Swavely who is 12-7 with a 1.43 ERA, 14 complete games and five shutouts. Sarah Knill has contributed with a mark of 10-4 and a 2.33 ERA. She has seven complete games and two shutouts on the year.
