Freshman Kacie Easley blasted a solo home run in the eighth
inning to lift the No. 19-ranked Angelo State softball team (50-14)
to a 5-4 win over No. 6-ranked Bloomsburg to advance to the
semifinals of the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship
Finals. It was the second time in as many games that ASU had been
pushed to extra innings, falling 1-0 to No. 3-ranked Hawaii Pacific
Friday night to be sent to the losers' bracket.
The Rambelles will next play at 12 p.m. Sunday against No.
2-ranked Valdosta State with a berth to the national finals on the
line. ASU will need two wins over the Lady Blazers to advance to
Monday's title game, scheduled for 2 p.m. on CBS College Sports.
Angelo State had a chance to grab an early lead as senior Sarah
DeMoss led off the third inning with an infield single and then
quickly stole second base. Junior Kaycee Taylor followed with a
hard single up the middle, but DeMoss was thrown out at the plate.
Bloomsburg scored a run each in the fourth and the fifth to jump
ahead. The Huskies got a solo home run from Sam Pientack to
lead off the fourth frame and added an RBI single by Lacy Mauro,
scoring Nikki Shiko from second base, to take a 2-0 lead in the
fifth.
ASU then erupted for four runs, all with two outs, in the bottom
of the fifth inning to grab a 4-2 lead. Freshman Chelsey Walters
led off the frame with a single through the right side of the BU
infield, but Rambelles followed the hit with a pair of pop ups. ASU
then got another infield single by DeMoss to give the Rambelles a
pair of base runners. Taylor then laced a single to left field,
scoring Walters from second base, and DeMoss would come home on a
throwing error by the Huskies, tying the game, 2-2.
After an infield single by junior Alix Dean, giving the
Rambelles runners at the corners, BU intentionally walked Easley to
load the bases. Freshman Amanda Wilhelm then gave ASU the lead with
an RBI single up the middle, scoring sophomore pinch runner
Jasmaine Moore from third. Junior Brittany Astle added a fourth run
in the frame on a bases-loaded walk to give the Rambelles a 4-2
advantage.
However, the Huskies tacked on two runs in the top of the sixth
to knot the game, 4-4. Pientack added her second home run of the
game to open the top of the sixth and BU added the game-tying run
two batters later with a double by Shavaun Fisher that scored Mandy
Koch from second.
The Huskies (50-8) threatened in the seventh inning, leaving two
runners on when Koch ended the frame with a strikeout. ASU could
not complete the game in regulation as the Rambelles failed to get
a base runner, but BU also went three-up, three-down in the top of
the eighth to set up Easley's team-leading 16th home run of the
year. Easley led off the bottom of the eighth and hit the
game-winning homer on a 2-1 count.
Senior right-handed Chelsea Nelson (29-9) earned the victory in
relief, tossing the final 3.0 innings. Nelson entered the game with
a 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning, but gave up two runs
after the first three batters she faced. She then settled down and
had two strikeouts without a walk as her offense gave her the win.
Senior right-hander April Haywood started the game and tossed the
first 5.0 innings. Haywood retired three Huskies via strikeout,
walked one and hit one batter in a solid start.
Easley ended the game 2-fof-3 with an RBI and a run scored as
one of three Rambelles with a multi-hit game. DeMoss went 2-for-4
with a run scored while Taylor went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
For BU, Fisher (35-7) was handed the loss after giving up five
earned runs on 10 hits in 7.0-plus innings of work. Fisher struck
out six Rambelles and walked two. Pientack led the Huskies with a
3-for-4 performance with a pair of solo home runs.