QUAKERTOWN, Pa. (April 28) – The No. 7 California University of Pennsylvania softball team scored five runs in the top of the first inning on Thursday afternoon en route to posting a 7-2 win over Lock Haven in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.

With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 34-2 overall and have now won seven-straight games in the PSAC Tournament dating back to last season. Cal U will now face Bloomsburg, the top seed from the PSAC Central, tomorrow, Friday, April 29, at 12 p.m. Meanwhile, the Bald Eagles fall to 36-15 this year and will play an elimination game tomorrow morning.

Junior right fielder Kaity Finley (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) led off the game with a single and advanced to third when sophomore shortstop Emily Price (Warren, Ohio/Howland) reached on a fielding error while executing a sacrifice bunt. Senior third baseman Natalya Smarra (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox) followed with an RBI single through the middle before another sacrifice bunt advanced runners to second and third. After a pop-out, freshman designated player Emilee Downing (Groveport, Ohio/Groveport Madison) lined a two-run RBI single before senior first baseman Lindsay Reicoff (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) capped the inning with a two-run homer, her eighth of the season and 50th of her career.

The Bald Eagles threatened in the bottom half of the first with a two-out walk and single before a strikeout ended the inning. In the third, Lock Haven trimmed the deficit to 5-1 on a sacrifice fly after starting the inning with a walk and single followed by a sacrifice bunt. Senior Megan Uher (Acme, Pa./Connellsville) entered the circle following a two-out walk and with runners on the corners before inducting a ground-out to end the third.

Both teams were unable to convert scoring opportunities in the fourth. Cal U led off the inning with a seven-pitch walk by Reicoff before she was forced out at second. Junior catcher Megan Jahoda (Buchanan, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) then reached on a single to give the Vulcans runners at second and third with one out before a strikeout and ground-out ended the threat. In the bottom half, the Bald Eagles collected back-to-back singles with two outs before Smarra touched third for an unassisted putout to end the inning.

In the fifth, the Vulcans again had runners on first and second with one out before a fielder's choice and pop-out closed the inning. Lock Haven cut the deficit to 5-2 in the sixth after benefiting from both a hit by pitch and an error. Center fielder Jodi Weaknecht opened the inning with a hit by pitch and advanced to second on a ground-out. Catcher Gabrielle Henseon then reached on a fielding error that allowed Weaknecht to score from second. Following the run, freshman Taylor Robblee (Woodstock, Ontario/College Avenue) issued a walk before a fly-out gave the Bald Eagles runners on the corners with two outs. Price then caught a line-out at shortstop to end the inning.

Cal U answered in the top half of the seventh on a two-run homer by sophomore center fielder Jacquelyn Fowler (Grove City, Ohio/Central Crossing), her third in four games and sixth of the year, on the seventh pitch of the at-bat. Robblee retired the Bald Eagles in order in the bottom of the inning.

Uher (13-0) earned the win in relief for the seconds-straight day after allowing one run (unearned) in 2.2 innings. Robblee recorded her fourth save of the year after tossing 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, retiring five of the six batters she faced. Lock Haven starter Bekah Slattery (20-6) suffered the loss after surrendering five runs (all unearned) on five hits in 2.0 innings.

Four different players collected a multi-hit game, as the Vulcans totaled 12 hits in the victory. Smarra went 2-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored, while Finley finished 2-for-4 with one run scored. Fowler posted two hits with the two-run homer and senior second baseman Erica Vallecorsa (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) added two hits.

Reicoff became just the fourth player in PSAC history, and the first in school history, to post at least 50 career homers. She entered play without a homer in her last 36 at-bats, a span that dated back to the first inning of April 2 against Gannon.

The Vulcans continue play in the PSAC Tournament tomorrow when they face Bloomsburg, who is slotted fourth in the latest NCAA regional rankings, at 12 p.m.

Also on Thursday, West Chester was eliminated from the PSAC Tournament and finished the event with a 0-2 record after being the top team in the regional rankings in each of the past three weeks.

2016 PSAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, April 27
Game 1: (E3) Millersville d. (W3) Slippery Rock, 4-2
Game 2: (W1) California d. (C3) IUP, 4-3
Game 3: (C2) Lock Haven d. (E2) Kutztown, 4-3
Game 4: (W2) Gannon d. (E1) West Chester, 3-1
Game 5: (C1) Bloomsburg d. (E3) Millersville, 1-0
Game 6: (C3) IUP d. (W3) Slippery Rock, 2-1 (Slippery Rock eliminated)

Thursday, April 28
Game 7:  (E3) Millersville d. (E1) West Chester, 3-2 (West Chester eliminated)
Game 8:  (E2) Kutztown d. (C3) IUP, 3-2 (IUP eliminated)
Game 9:  (W1) California d. (C2) Lock Haven, 7-2
Game 10: (C1) Bloomsburg d. (W2) Gannon, 3-0
 
Friday, April 29 -- ** GAMES 11, 12 MOVED TO FRIDAY DUE TO WEATHER **
Game 11:  (C2) Lock Haven vs. (E3) Millersville (loser eliminated), 10 a.m. I LS
Game 12:  (W2) Gannon vs. (E2) Kutztown) (loser eliminated), 10 a.m. (Gannon leads 4-0, top 4th) I LS
Game 13:  (W1) California vs. (C1) Bloomsburg, 12 p.m. I LS
Game 14:  Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (loser eliminated), 12 p.m. I LS
Game 15:  Game 13 loser vs. Game 14 winner (loser eliminated), 4 p.m. I LS

Saturday, April 30
Game 16:  Game 13 winner vs. Game 15 winner, 12 p.m. I LS
IF necessary, Game 17:  Game 16 winner vs. Game 16 loser I LS