Local roundup
Lady Vulcans win doubleheader Sophomore pitcher Meghan Johnson and senior shortstop Megan Timpf combined to lead the California University of Pennsylvania softball team to a 4-1 win in the opener, then everybody contributed to a 25-6 win in the nightcap as the Vulcans swept a PSAC West softball doubleheader at Clarion Saturday to clinch its 19th-straight league playoff bid.
The Vulcans, who started the season 3-10, have battled back to even their record at 14-14 overall, 11-7 in the PSAC West. Cal closes out the regular season Sunday with a twinbill at Edinboro (2 p.m.), then will advance to Kutztown Thursday (5/2) to compete in its 19th-straight PSAC Championship Tournament.
Cal erased a 1-0 deficit in the third inning when Timpf hit a two-run triple with one out, then scored on an RBI hit by sophomore third baseman Heather Bihler. Jr. CF Deanna Valentino drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk in the seventh to add an insurance run.
In the nightcap, the teams were tied 5-5 when Cal broke loose for six runs on one hit and four Clarion errors in the top of the third inning. The Vulcans then exploded for 11 more scores on eight hits and two miscues in the fourth. Freshman catcher and Laurel Highlands graduate Renee Gmiter blasted a grand slam, her second homer of the season, to highlight the fourth frame.
The teams combined to tie a Cal record for most runs in a game (31), set in 1992 when the Vulcans downed Barton, 17-14. Eleven runs in an inning and 25 runs in a game are both two runs short of the team records.
Waynesburg 9, Thiel 8; Thiel 4, Waynesburg 3 – The Waynesburg College softball team finished its 2007 regular season with a split of a doubleheader at Thiel on Saturday in Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) action at Tomcat Park. The Yellow Jackets claimed a 9-8 victory in the opener before losing a 4-3 contest in the second game.
In the nightcap, Waynesburg failed to overcome a four-run Thiel second inning. The Yellow Jackets cut the lead to 4-3 in the fifth, plating three runs behind RBI hits from left fielder Haley Kramer (New Castle, Pa./Laurel) and Joyce.
The Yellow Jackets finish the season in a tie for fifth place, meaning they will not qualify for the PAC Tournament scheduled next weekend.
College baseball
California (Pa.) 9, Lock Haven 3; California (Pa.) 6, Lock Haven 2 – The first three batters in Cal’s baseball lineup, senior LF Lee Rohan, junior 3B Jeremy Potter and Dustin Woodring combined for 13 hits, 11 runs scored and six RBI in leading the Vulcans to a PSAC West doubleheader sweep vs. Lock Haven Saturday at CONSOL Energy Park.
The 9-3 and 6-2 victories over the Bald Eagles, combined with Slippery Rock (31-13, 14-6 PSAC West) winning three of four games vs. Shippensburg this weekend, clinched at least the second seed from the West for the Vulcans (31-13, 13-5 PSAC West) in the PSAC playoffs, which begin Wednesday at Slippery Rock. Shippensburg (23-21, 13-7 PSAC West) will be the No. 3 seed from the West.
The Vulcans, who reached the 30-win plateau for the fourth-straight year and fifth time in team history, are ranked No. 2 in the North Atlantic Region. Cal can still clinch sole possession of the West regular-season title with another DH sweep at Lock Haven Sunday. Cal won the West title in 2006 and finished as quad-champs in 2005.
If Cal and LH teams split Sunday (1 p.m. at LH), the Vulcans will tie SRU for the regular-season title, but would be the second seed from the West in the tournament. If LHU sweeps the Vulcans Sunday, Cal would tie Shippensburg for second place, but would have the tiebreaker advantage against the Raiders to earn the No. 2 seed.
Regardless of Sunday’s results vs. Lock Haven, Cal will open the PSAC playoffs Wednesday at 7 p.m. (opponent TBA). SRU will play Wednesday’s 4 p.m. game (opponent TBA), the first in the four-day tournament, and Shippensburg’s first-round game will be against Kutztown (#1 East) Thursday at 9 a.m.
West Chester clinched the No. 2 seed from the East by sweeping East Stroudsburg Saturday. East Stroudsburg can gain the No. 3 East seed with one win in Sunday’s home DH vs. West Chester or one loss by fourth-place Mansfield, which will host a twinbill Sunday against Kutztown.