• Box Score vs. West Chester
• Box Score vs. Lock Haven

CALIFORNIA (May 11) – The California University of Pennsylvania softball team suffered a 4-3 loss against West Chester in the NCAA Tournament at Lilley Filed on Saturday before posting a 9-1 run-rule win over Lock Haven in an elimination game later in the day.

With the split, the Vulcans moves to 38-5 overall to mark their winningest season since the 2000 campaign. Cal U, which hasn't suffered back-to-back losses this season, advances to face West Chester tomorrow, Sunday, May 12, at 1 p.m. The Vulcans need to post back-to-back wins against the Golden Rams to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals, while West Chester needs only one victory.

Against the Golden Rams (36-19), freshman Alex Sagl (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Trafalgar) suffered the loss after allowing four runs (all earned) on two hits – both homers – and four walks in 6.0-plus innings (98 pitches). Classmate Haley Bashada (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) tossed a scoreless inning of relief for the second-straight day. West Chester junior Kim Murl (6-1) earned the victory after yielding three runs (two earned) in 6.0-plus innings (62 pitches) and senior Devon Utterback registered the save after working a scoreless seventh inning.

Cal U took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first behind a two-out RBI single by Sagl. In the second, the Golden Rams opened the inning with a walk before taking the lead with back-to-back homers, 3-2. West Chester looked to add to the lead in the sixth before a runner was tagged out at home after attempting to score from second on an error.  However, the Golden Rams posted an insurance run in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded after back-to-back walks and a bunt single started the inning. In the bottom of the inning, junior catcher Natalie Wideman (Mississauga, Ontario/Streetsville Secondary) reached on a leadoff single and advanced to second on a fielding error before moving to third on a fly-out. Freshman left fielder Erica Vallecorsa (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) followed with a sacrifice fly before the game ended with a strikeout.

Sophomore shortstop Breanna Morris (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg Central) collected two of the team's seven hits, finishing 2-for-3 with one run scored.

Against Lock Haven (29-16), Cal U scored a pair of runs in the top of the first and one in the second to take a 3-0 lead. Junior second baseman Shelby Lia (Whitby, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson) led off the game with a double and later scored on an RBI single through the middle by Morris. Following a ground-out, Sagl collected a two-out RBI double to center field in the first, 2-0. The Vulcans added to the lead in the second when junior right fielder Stephani Ellis (Vancouver, British Columbia/Prince of Wales Secondary) drew a bases-loaded walk.

In the fourth, Vallecorsa opened the inning a solo homer before Lia lined a double down the left-field line. Freshman first baseman Lindsay Reicoff (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) and Morris then belted back-to-back homers to stretch the lead to 7-0. Lock Haven answered with one run in the bottom of the inning following a two-out fielding error before Cal U forced the run-rule victory by scoring twice in the fifth. Wideman reached on an error to start the inning and advanced to second on a single by freshman third baseman Natalya Smarra (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox). After a fly-out, Lia and Reicoff collected back-to-back RBI singes, 9-1.

Lia reached in all four plate appearances, finishing 3-for-3 with two doubles, one RBI, two runs scored and one walk. Morris and Reicoff both went 2-for-4 and combined for five RBI, while Vallecorsa also posted a pair of hits and scored twice. Reicoff also tied the freshman school record of 13 homers originally set by Alyson Johnson in 2009.

Sagl (20-3) earned the complete-game victory to become the program's first 20-game winner since 2000 (Melissa Brooks, 24). She yielded just one run (unearned) on five hits with four strikeouts in 5.0 innings (92 pitches). Sagl also moved into fourth place in single-season school history with 183 strikeouts on Saturday, marking a freshman school record and the highest overall total since 2000 (Brooks, 244). Lock Haven starter Sara Morse (7-8) was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs (all earned) on five hits in 1.0-plus innings.

Cal U returns to action at Lilley Field tomorrow against West Chester at 1 p.m. The two teams split a doubleheader in the regular season and have split two meetings this post-season, as the Vulcans posted a victory in last week's league tournament.

NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, May 10
Game 1 - (1) California (Pa.) d. (8) Chowan (N.C.), 13-0
Game 2 - (5) Lock Haven vs. (4) West Chester, (suspended top 4th)

Saturday, May 11
Game 2 - (4) West Chester d. (5) Lock Haven, 10-1 (resumed in top 4th)
Game 3 - (4) West Chester d. (1) California (Pa.), W 4-3
Game 4 - (5) Lock Haven d. (8) Chowan (N.C.), 10-2 (5 innings) (Chowan eliminated)
Game 5 - (5) Lock Haven vs. (1) California (Pa.), 9-1 (Lock Haven eliminated)

Sunday, May 12
Game 6 - (4) West Chester vs. (1) California (Pa.), 1 p.m.
Game 7 - (4) West Chester vs. (1) California (Pa.), 3:30 p.m. (if necessary)