2011 PSAC Tournament website

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University softball team has qualified for the PSAC Tournament for the seventh consecutive season.

The Lady Eagles begin PSAC Tournament play tomorrow (Thursday, April 21) at 11 a.m. vs. West Chester at host-California (Pa.) University.

The conference tournament will have the same format as the last two seasons in which nine teams qualify and three teams play at each site in a double elimination tournament the first weekend. The three winners will then go to a single site next weekend and play in another double elimination tournament for the conference championship.

This year, the tournament will be contested this Thursday and Friday, April 21-22, with the championship round taking place next Friday and Saturday, April 29-30. Divisional champions Shippensburg (East), Bloomsburg (Central) and California (West) will host the first round this week.

Lock Haven will play host-Cal tomorrow at either 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. depending on the outcome of the first game with West Chester.

The full schedule for the tournament is listed below.

Lock Haven enters the tournament after going 24-10 overall during the regular season. The Lady Eagles were 10-5 in PSAC action.

LHU hasn't played Cal or WCU this season because both doubleheaders were rained out during the regular season.

A huge key this postseason for Lock Haven will be a pair of 12-win pitchers. Sophomore Sarah Morse (Dover, N.H./Dover) and redshirt-freshman Nicole Smith (Milton, Pa./Milton) have been dominating the circle all year.

Morse is 12-6 with 75 strikeouts and a 2.19 ERA. Smith is 12-4 with 67 strikeouts and a 2.32 ERA. Both are holding the opposition under a .273 batting average.

Senior Brittany Pataky (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield) is hitting .385 with a .521 slugging percentage, both of which are team-highs. Pataky has six doubles and 25 RBIs.

Catcher Alicia Cacciotti (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) has really come into her own at the plate as of late and her clutch-hitting has her hitting .295 with a team-best 28 RBIs. She has five home runs.

2011 PSAC Tournament Schedule/Round 1 Format:

Thursday, April 21

(at Shippensburg)
Game 1 - (W2) Mercyhurst vs. (C3) IUP, 11:00 a.m.
Game 2 - (E1) Shippensburg vs. Game 1 loser, 1:00 p.m.
Game 3 - (E1) Shippensburg vs. Game 1 winner, 3:00 p.m.

(at Bloomsburg)
Game 1 - (E2) Kutztown vs. (W3) Gannon, 11:00 a.m.
Game 2 - (C1) Bloomsburg vs. Game 1 loser, 1:00 p.m.
Game 3 - (C1) Bloomsburg vs. Game 1 winner, 3:00 p.m.

(at California)
Game 1 - (C2) Lock Haven vs. (E3) West Chester, 11:00 a.m.
Game 2 - (W1) California vs. Game 1 loser, 1:00 p.m.
Game 3 - (W1) California vs. Game 1 winner, 3:00 p.m.

Friday, April 22
(at all sites)
Game 4, 12:00 p.m.
Game 5, 2:00 p.m.

a) If all three teams remain after Day 1, lots will be drawn to determine which teams play in Game 4 and which is byed to Game 5.

b) If two teams remain after Day 1, the two teams will play 1 or 2 games to determine champion, depending on need of double-elimination format.