• Box Score vs. IUP
• Box Score vs. Shippensburg (Game 1)
• Box Score vs. Shippensburg (Game 2)
• Reicoff Walk-Off Homer (Video)
• Final out (Video)
 
QUAKERTOWN, Pa. (May 3) – Lifted by a go-ahead home run in the sixth by senior catcher Natalie Wideman (Mississauga, Ontario/Streetsville Secondary), the Vulcans won their first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship since 2000 with a 4-3 win over Shippensburg Saturday afternoon at Veterans Park.
 
The California University of Pennsylvania softball team rallied from behind in each of its three wins, including a walk-off, two-run home run by sophomore first baseman Lindsay Reicoff to give the Vulcans a 5-4 win over Shippensburg to force a winner-take-all final game against the Raiders. Cal U earned its spot in the title game with a walk-off single by senior third baseman Shelby Lia (Whitby, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson) to propel the team to a 3-2 win over IUP.

With the three victories, Cal U improves to 35-5 overall and wins the PSAC Championship for the first time since 2000. The team had been the league's runner-up four times since 2000, including last season. The Vulcans also earned the automatic qualifier (AQ) from the conference to the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Shippensburg falls to 34-15 overall this season.
 
Wideman was named the PSAC Tournament MVP after leading the team with a .632 average (12-for-19) over the weekend, collecting at least one hit in all six games and posting four multi-hit games. She finished the tournament with two homers, five RBI and five runs scored while also compiling a .682 on-base percentage and 1.000 slugging percentage from the leadoff spot.

With the second game of the PSAC Championship tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Wideman smacked a go-ahead, eventual game-winning solo home run to help the Vulcans secure the title.
 
Shippensburg jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first before Cal U evened the score in the bottom of the inning when Wideman scored on an RBI single by Lia. The Raiders reclaimed the lead at 2-1 in the second with a solo home run. The Vulcans rallied for a pair of runs in the third inning with timely hitting to take a 3-2 lead. Freshman left fielder Kaity Finley (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) smacked a two-out RBI double and scored when sophomore second baseman Erica Vallecorsa (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) delivered a two-out RBI single.
 
After a scoreless fourth inning, Shippensburg advanced the tying-run to third base in the fifth with a double and a wild pitch. The game then went into a lighting delay before the Raiders tied the score at 3-3 with an infield single. Cal U had two on and two out in the bottom half of the inning, but failed to push anyone across. Shippensburg followed suit and stranded two runners in the top of the sixth inning.

Wideman led off the bottom of the sixth with a go-ahead home run to left field to give the Vulcans a 4-3 lead. The Raiders put a runners on first and second with two outs before sophomore pitcher Alex Sagl (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Trafalgar) forced the final batter to pop-up to Wideman, giving the Vulcans the conference crown.
 
Sagl (23-3) earned the win for the Vulcans after tossing 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, holding the Raiders to four hits and striking out four. Freshman Kaity Davis (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) earned the start and allowed three runs (all earned) on five hits with one strikeout in 4.1 innings pitched (65 pitches).
 
Wideman and Vallecorsa each tallied three hits and one RBI with Wideman delivering the game-winning home run and two runs scored in the game. Lia also contributed a 2-for-4 effort with an RBI and a run scored in the win.
 
In the first game of the PSAC Championship, Cal U rallied for four unanswered runs, including a walk-off two-run home run by Reicoff, to earn a 5-4 win and force a decisive game for the PSAC Championship.
 
After two scoreless innings, Shippensburg broke through with two runs in the top of the third to take a 2-0 lead. The Raiders benefited from a pair of errors to put Cal U in the early deficit. The Vulcans got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the third when freshman right fielder Megan Jahoda (Buchanan, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) connected for a solo home run to cut the deficit to 2-1. Shippensburg then extended its lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning behind back-to-back solo home runs.
 
Cal U cut the margin back to one run in the bottom of the fourth. Lia led off the inning with a single and junior center fielder Shelby Heyd (Innisfil, Ontario/Nantyr Shores Secondary) later hit a two-run home run over the right-field fence to make the score 4-3. Shippensburg had a chance to extend its lead again in the fifth inning, but Sagl stranded two runners to keep the Vulcans within one run. After neither team threatened in the sixth, Sagl retired the Raiders in order in the seventh to allow the late-inning heroics.
 
Wideman reached in the bottom of the seventh with a single up the middle to bring Reicoff to the plate with one out. The Pittsburgh native took a 2-2 pitch and lifted it over the left-center field fence to keep the title hopes alive and force a winner-take-all final game.
 
Sagl earned the win after pitching 3.0 shutout innings of relief. She held the Raiders to one hit and struck out a pair to earn the win. Shippensburg ace Emily Estep (23-3), who entered the PSAC Tournament as the league leader in wins and ERA, was saddled with the loss after allowing five runs (all earned) on nine hits and struck out six in 6.1 innings pitched.
 
Reicoff and Heyd had identical lines, finishing with two hits, a home run, two RBI and a run scored. Lia and Wideman each added a pair of base hits, while Jahoda finished the game with the solo home run.
 
In an elimination game, the Vulcans advanced to the finals of PSAC Tournament for the second-straight year with a 3-2 victory against IUP, the No. 2 seed from the West, on Saturday morning.

Against the Crimson Hawks (32-15), the Vulcans scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back, two-out singles. Junior shortstop Breanna Morris (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg Central) reached on an infield single and stole second Lia delivered the game-winning RBI single through the middle.

Sagl earned the victory after reentering the game in the top of the sixth. She scattered two hits and issued four walks over 4.0 innings (92 pitches), while recording six strikeouts. Davis tossed 3.0 innings of relief and allowed two runs (both earned) on five hits after entering in top of the third. IUP junior Alexa Campbell (15-9) suffered the loss after yielding three runs (one earned) on nine hits in 6.2 innings (106 pitches).

IUP loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the first before Cal U took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the inning. Wideman led off the inning with a single and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and passed ball before scoring on an RBI single by Morris. In the second, the Vulcans had runners on the corners with two outs before a ground-out ended the inning.

Cal U threatened to add to its lead in the fourth, as Finley lined a two-out triple to left field before the inning ended on a  ground-out. In the sixth, the Crimson Hawks tied the game on a leadoff homer by center fielder Jasa Mitchell before taking a 2-1 lead later in the inning on a two-out RBI single. Sagl reentered the circle with runners on the corners and closed the inning with a strikeout. The Vulcans countered with a run in the bottom of the inning when senior designated player Stephani Ellis (Vancouver, British Columbia/Prince of Wales Secondary) scored on a two-out RBI single by Finley.

In the seventh, Sagl retired the first two batters before issuing an intentional walk to Mitchell, who leads the PSAC with 15 homers this year. She then induced a fly-out to end the inning. Morris and Lia then collected back-to-back singles in the bottom of the inning to earn the victory.

Morris finished 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored, while Finley went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Wideman collected a pair of hits and scored once.
 
The Vulcans will make their seventh-straigh appearance in the NCAA Tournament after earning the automatic qualifier from the PSAC. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled to stream on NCAA.com at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 5.

PSAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 1
Game 1 - (W1) California d. (E4) Mansfield, 3-0
Game 2 - (E2) Bloomsburg d. (W3) Gannon, 5-2
Game 3 - (E1) West Chester d. (W4) Edinboro, 10-1
Game 4 - (E3) Shippensburg d. (W2) IUP, 7-1
Game 5 - (W1) California d. (E2) Bloomsburg, 4-2
Game 6 - (W3) Gannon d. (E4) Mansfield, 4-2 (Mansfield eliminated)
Game 7 - (E3) Shippensburg d. (E1) West Chester, 8-3
Game 8 - (W2) IUP d. (W4) Edinboro, 7-5 (Edinboro eliminated)

Friday, May 2
Game 9 - (E1) West Chester d. (W3) Gannon, 2-1 (Gannon eliminated)
Game 10 - (W2) IUP d. (E2) Bloomsburg, 9-0 (Bloomsburg eliminated)
Game 11 - (E3) Shippensburg d. (W1) California, 3-1
Game 12 - (W2) IUP d. (E1) West Chester, 7-5 (West Chester eliminated)

Saturday, May 3
Game 13 - (W1) California d. (W2) IUP, 3-2 (IUP eliminated)
Game 14 - (W1) California d. (E3) Shippensburg, 5-4
Game 15 - (W1) California d. (E3) Shippensburg, 4-3 (Shippensburg eliminated)