QUAKERTOWN, Pa. (April 30) – The Vulcans earned a split of games on the opening day of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament at Veterans Park on Thursday, claiming a 6-0 victory over East Stroudsburg before suffering a 5-4 loss to Gannon despite scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh.

With the split, the California University of Pennsylvania softball team moves to 30-10 overall and will now face IUP in an elimination game tomorrow, Friday, May 1. The Vulcans have now reached the 30-win mark in four-consecutive years and six times in the last seven seasons.

Against East Stroudsburg, junior Alex Sagl (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Trafalgar) improved to 17-4 this season after tossing her seventh complete-game shutout. She scattered three hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 7.0 innings. The 2015 PSAC West Pitcher of the Year retired the initial 14 batters of the game before issuing a two-out walk in the fifth, while the Warriors collected their first hit on a leadoff single in the sixth.

The Vulcans broke a scoreless tie in the third behind a two-run double by junior first baseman Lindsay Reicoff (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) with two outs. Junior second baseman Erica Vallecorsa (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) reached on a one-out single through the right side before junior right fielder Kaity Finley (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) reached on a hit a by pitch. Cal U then executed a double steal before Reicoff later followed with the run-scoring double.

In the fourth, junior third baseman Natalya Smarra (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) reached on a leadoff single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt before freshman designated player Hailey Wilson (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy) delivered an RBI single. Cal U sealed the victory by adding three runs in the bottom of the fifth after opening the inning with four-straight hits. Sophomore Emily Price (Warren, Ohio/Howland) led off the inning with a single before Reicoff followed with a two-run homer, her league-leading 17th of the year. Senior center fielder Shelby Heyd (Innisfil, Ontario/Nantyr Shores Secondary) and Smarra then reached on back-to-back singles and advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt before Heyd scored on a sacrifice fly by Wilson.

ESU opened the sixth with back-to-back singles before it lined into a double play and Sagl induced a pop-up to end the inning. In the seventh, the Warriors again opened the inning with back-to-back baserunners before Sagl retired the next three hitters in order.

Reicoff went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and four RBI, while Price and Vallecorsa both collected two hits and scored one run. ESU sophomore Rachael Liguori (10-9) suffered the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits in 5.0 innings.

Against Gannon, the Vulcans took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Smarra lined an RBI single through the left side with the bases loaded. The Lady Knights threatened in the second with two runners in scoring position before taking a 4-1 lead in the top of the fifth. Gannon benefited from two errors in the inning before Heyd threw out left fielder Alexa Archambeault at home for the third out after she attempted to score from second.

The Lady Knights added an insurance run in the sixth on a solo homer by center fielder Jess Rectenwald, the 2015 PSAC West Athlete of the Year, to stretch the lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the seventh, Vallecorsa and Finley collected back-to-back singles with one out before Reicoff later drew a walk to load the bases. Following a pitching change, Heyd lined a two-run double to center field before Reicoff scored on an error that allowed Smarra to reach base.

Finley and Heyd both collected two hits, while Finley scored twice and Heyd drove in two runs.

Sophomore Kaity Davis (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) dropped to 1-4 this year after allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks in 2.0 innings of relief. Gannon sophomore Olivia Gumbita (13-4) claimed the win after yielding four runs (three earned) on six hits and four walks in 6.2 innings, while also tallying 10 strikeouts. Rectenwald earned the save after recording the final out of the game.

Cal U returns to action tomorrow against IUP in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, at 1 p.m. The Vulcans swept the four-game series with the Crimson Hawks during the regular season, including a pair of run-rule, shutout victories.

PSAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, April 30
Game 1 - (E1) West Chester d. (W4) IUP, 6-5 (9 inn.)
Game 2 - (W2) Seton Hill d. (E3) Kutztown, 7-1
Game 3 - (W1) California d. (E4) East Stroudsburg, 6-0
Game 4 - (W3) Gannon d. (E2) Bloomsburg, 2-0
Game 5 - (E1) West Chester d. (W2) Seton Hill, 9-1 (6 inn.)
Game 6 - (W4) IUP d. (E3) Kutztown, 4-0 (IUP eliminated)
Game 7 - (W3) Gannon d. (W1) California, 5-4
Game 8 - (E2) Bloomsburg d. (E4) East Stroudsburg, 10-3 (East Stroudsburg eliminated)

Friday, May 1
Game 9 - (W4) IUP vs. (W1) California, 11 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 10 - (E2) Bloomsburg vs. (W2) Seton Hill, 1:30 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 11 - (E1) West Chester vs. (W3) Gannon, 4 p.m.
Game 12 - Winner of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 10, 6:30 p.m. (loser eliminated)

Saturday, May 2
Game 13 - Winner of Game 12 vs. Loser of Game 11, 11 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 14 - Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 13, 1:30 p.m.
Game 15 - Winner of Game 13 vs. Loser of Game 13, 4 p.m. (if necessary)