TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The No. 4 seed Lock Haven University softball team (38-13) opened Day 2 action at the Atlantic 1 Regional with a narrow 3-1 loss to top-seed West Chester University (42-13), but the Bald Eagles bounced back in a big way and fought off elimination with a 1-0 win over No. 5 seed Shepherd (34-20).
With the win over Shepherd, Lock Haven moves on at the 2018 NCAA Tournament and will play West Chester again tomorrow (Saturday, May 12) at 11 a.m. LHU will need to beat the Golden Rams twice in order to advance to the Super Regionals.
The win over Shepherd marked Lock Haven's second 1-0 win over SU in as many days as the Bald Eagles opened the 2018 NCAA Championships yesterday with a 1-0 walk-off win over Shepherd in extra innings (9 inn.).
Lock Haven is now 2-1 in Atlantic 1 Regional action. In today's second game of the day (Game 4), Shepherd beat Chowan 4-1. Chowan went 0-2 and was eliminated from the tournament. Shepherd finished 2-1 and was eliminated after its second loss to LHU. West Chester is 2-0 thus far with wins over Chowan and The Haven.
West Chester 3 – Lock Haven 1
No. 4 seed Lock Haven – the home team today – struck first in the bottom of the first inning when
Casey Carpenter (Spring Brook, Pa./North Pocono) was credited with a RBI after grounding out to second base.
The Bald Eagles clung to that 1-0 lead until No. 1 seed West Chester struck in the top of fifth thank to a Madison Kelly's double to right-center field that drove in three Golden Rams.
That 3-1 West Chester lead held.
Despite the loss, Lock Haven pitcher
Bekah Slattery (Douglasville, Pa./Daniel Boone) was outstanding and finished with seven strikeouts. She allowed just six hits and one walk.
Moriah Lindsey (Woolrich, Pa./Central Mountain),
Becca Caputo (Williamsport, Pa./Jersey Shore) and
Bree Hilty (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) had hits for Lock Haven in the day's opener vs. West Chester.
Lock Haven 1 – Shepherd 0
For the second consecutive day, Slattery and Shepherd pitcher Lori Sturgill locked up in a pitcher's duel. The two allowed just six hits and combined for eight strikeouts.
Slattery threw a complete-game two hitter and finished with five strikeouts. She allowed just one walk.
In the top of the fourth, Lock Haven – playing as the away team – scored the game's only run after
Cassie Querry's (Cassville, Pa./Southern Huntingdon) pinch-hit single to center drove in Hilty.
With the win over Shepherd to close out Day 2 regional action, the Bald Eagles fought off elimination. Lock Haven now gets another shot at West Chester and will need to win twice to move on.
Visit LHU's tournament central page at GoLHU.com and follow us on Twitter - @HavenAthletics – for updates.
