2017 PSAC Tournament Central
QUAKERTOWN, Pa. – Facing elimination after yesterday's Day 1 loss at the 2017 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament, the Lock Haven University softball team (28-20) powered its way to three dominating wins, thanks in large part to an offensive outburst.
LHU picked up wins over California (Pa.) University (W, 6-1), Gannon University (W, 8-4) and Shippensburg University (W, 6-5) to stave off elimination.
The Bald Eagles were forced to play three games today – all elimination games after yesterday's tournament-opening loss – after tournament officials already ruled Friday play out tomorrow because of the weather forecast.
Lock Haven's 3-0 record today (3-1 in tournament) helped the Bald Eagles advance to meet a familiar face. LHU will take on PSAC Central rival Bloomsburg on Saturday (May 6).
The big story today for Lock Haven was the offense, which warmed up quick and stayed hot despite the unseasonably cool temperatures.
In all, LHU scored 20 runs on 30 hits and the Bald Eagles hit seven home runs including three from the bat of
McKenna Garlock (Three Springs, Pa./Southern Huntingdon).
Garlock hit .462 over today's three games. She was 6 for 13 with three homers, a double and six RBIs.
Faith Ceely (Troy, Pa./Troy) also hit .462 (6 for 13) and
Michelle Holweger (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) tallied five hits and drove in four runs over the three-game span.
Pitcher
Bekah Slattery (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) went 3-0 and
Rachel Mouillesseaux (Endicott, N.Y./Union Endicott) was clutch in the seventh on the way to a save vs. Shippensburg in the third and final game of the day.
Lock Haven 6 – Cal (Pa.) 1 (
full recap; posted earlier today)
Lock Haven used the long ball as both Garlock and
Bryann Hilty (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) hit home runs in a 6-1 win over Cal (22-17), which eliminated the Vulcans from the PSAC Tournament.
The win over Cal proved to be the start Lock Haven needed today and the first of three wins on the second day of tournament play.
Hilty's pinch-hit three-run home run in the seventh highlighted a four-run inning for the Bald Eagles and led Lock Haven to the win.
It was the second home run of the game for LHU as the long ball proved to be key for the Bald Eagles, who rebounded after their Day 1 loss to Seton Hill (L, 10-2 (5 inn.); Wed., May 3).
Garlock hit a two-run homer in the fourth.
In all, Lock Haven scored six runs on eight hits.
Garlock was 2 for 4 and her two-run homer in the top of the fourth opened the game's scoring. Cal was quick to get one run back in the bottom of the inning and the LHU-lead was 2-1 after four.
Leading 2-1 after six, Hilty broke open the game in the seventh with the three-run home run.
Lock Haven 8 – Gannon 4
Gannon (28-14) entered the PSAC Tournament as the top-seed from the Western Division, but the Bald Eagles powered their way to a dominating 8-4 victory, thanks to eight runs on 13 hits, including three home runs.
Garlock homered twice vs. Gannon, who was eliminated from the tournament with the loss.
Garlock opened the scoring in the top of the first with her first of two home runs in the game. The two-run shot put Lock Haven up 2-0.
Gannon tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the second and the Golden Knights led 4-2 after four.
Lock Haven's
Madison Mathes (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) broke open the game with one swing of the bat in the fifth when she hit a grand slam. The four-run shot put LHU up 6-4 and Garlock's second two-run homer of the game, which came in the sixth put the game away.
Garlock finished the game 3 for 5 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Ceely was 3 for 5 with a run scored, while both Holweger and
Jodi Weaknecht (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown H.S.) added a pair of hits.
Lock Haven 6 – Shippensburg 5
With play already washed out for tomorrow, the condensed schedule forced Lock Haven and Shippensburg (29-23) to play a third game today. Neither team looked to be slowed down by the extra work, as the two teams combined for 11 runs on 16 hits.
Once again, the Bald Eagles called upon power and both
Moriah Lindsey (Woolrich, Pa./Central Mountain) and
Becca Caputo (Williamsport, Pa./Jersey Shore) hit home runs.
Lindsey was 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Holweger was 2 for 4 with three RBIs and Ceely added two more hits.
Holweger opened the scoring the top of the third with a single up the middle that scored two runs, but Ship was quick to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the inning.
Lindsey's two-run blast over the left-field fence made it 4-2 and the Bald Eagles added a run in the sixth and seventh, and they led 6-1 after 6 ½ innings.
Shippensburg, the No. 3 seed from the East didn't go away and rallied for five runs in the bottom of the seventh.
With no outs and the bases loaded, Mouillesseaux entered and recorded three quick outs on the way to the save which helped clinch the dramatic one-run win.
With the loss, Shippensburg was eliminated from the tournament.
Up next: Lock Haven and Bloomsburg will play Saturday in an elimination game. The start time is TBD.
For more information, including full tournament schedule visit the PSAC's Championship Central page
here.
Make sure to follow the 2017 PSAC Tournament on Twitter:
@HavenAthletics @LHUsoftball &
@PSACsports.
