Bloomsburg Softball Falls at NCAA Championships
SALEM, VA—The road to the NCAA Division II softball title got a little tougher today for Bloomsburg University after the Huskies dropped a quarterfinal game to Lynn (FL) University by a 3-0 score on Friday.
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The Huskies, now 45-9, drop into the loser's bracket and will face Kennesaw State in an elimination game on Saturday at noon.
The game started as a pitchers dual between Bloomsburg's Amanda Smith (Sandy Ridge/Philipsburg-Osceola) and Lynn's Aimee Murch. Neither team was able to generate much offensive in the opening two innings with one single for both squads. In the third, Lynn did put two runners on base, but Smith worked out of the two-out jam with a strikeout.
In the bottom of the fifth, Lynn started their game winning rally with a one out single. After a walk put runners at first and second, the Knights' Jennie Scott hit a three-run homer to straightaway centerfield. Lynn got two more runners on in the inning, but the Huskies escaped further trouble when Alyson Taylor (Jersey Shore/Jersey Shore) tagged out Alicia Turdugno on an attempted steal of home.
Bloomsburg did threaten in the seventh inning when Sara Roba (Emmaus/EmmausO singled with one out. After a strikeout, Tiff Corliss (Lewisburg/Lewisburg) just missed reaching base with a line drive down the left field line that went foul. Corliss was then called out on strikes to end the game.
Smith went the first five innings for the Huskies and struckout six, while Jaime Wilson finished up the final two innings. Murch ended with 14 strikeouts for the Knights.
The Huskies will face Kennesaw State on Saturday. In 2002 at the NCAA championships, the Huskies beat Kennesaw 4-0 in an opening round game.Huskies