SB3-29-01
ESU-Bloomsburg Softball
EAST STROUDSBURG - Deana Geist's three-run homer and Tara Buckley's triple carried East Stroudsburg University to a stunning 4-3 upset victory over Bloomsburg, the nation's number one ranked Division II team, in the second game of a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference softball doubleheader Thursday.
The Huskies, who now are 17-2, won the opener, 10-2, as Lisa Mull hit a two-run homer and Liza Pepper belted a pair of doubles.
It was the second straight year that the Warriors upset Bloomsburg at home by a 4-3 score.
Trailing 2-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, the dormant ESU offense, which ranked last in the conference in hitting and scoring runs, suddenly came alive. Mary Beth Scotch doubled and Nifer Shaw walked and then with two outs, Geist blasted a homer over the fence at the leftfield corner to put ESU ahead, 3-2. It was the first homer of her three-year collegiate career.
Bloomsburg tied the game in the sixth inning on an ESU throwing error after Mylan Le reached on a walk and took second on Mull's single.
ESU scored the game-winner in the bottom of the sixth. With two out, Buckley tripled to right-centerfield and when the Huskies misplayed the relay throw, she came around to score.
The Warriors were just three outs from victory, but it wasn't easy as after two outs, Erica Miller doubled for her fourth hit of the game and Alison Necci singled to put runners on first and third base. Winning pitcher Monica Soboleski, a freshman from Bloomsburg High School, then got Pepper on a groundout to second baseman Geist to end the game.
Geist went 2-for-3 and also had a triple while Scotch was 2-for-3.
"Our offense finally came together," said new ESU coach Jeanine Gunther. "That's what we talked about before the game. We were fielding well and our pitching was good enough to win games, but we just weren't hitting.
"It’s an exciting win obviously because it's against a team ranked first in the nation, but more importantly, it's a conference win. It should give our players confidence to know that if we play this way, we can reach our goal of making the conference playoffs," the coach added.
The first game was certainly not a confidence-builder for the ESU team. Bloomsburg scored in five of its six at-bats including three runs in the first inning and four in the third. The game was called after six innings because of the eight-run rule.
ESU's only runs came in the fourth inning on Erika Lee's two-run double.
The Warriors are now 7-7 overall and will travel to Millersville for a doubleheader Saturday.
ESU-Bloomsburg Softball (-2-)
(1st Game)
Bloomsburg 304 111 10-10-1
East Stroudsburg 000 200 2-3-0
(game called because of the eight-run rule)
Kerri Cooper and Liza Pepper; Tina Morak, Monica Soboleski (3) and Erika Lee
LP - Morak
2B - B, Pepper 2, Vanessa Sterner, Lisa Mull; ES, Erika Lee, Tara Greig
HR - B, Mull 3rd (one on)
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(2nd Game)
Bloomsburg 100 101 0 3-10-1
East Stroudsburg 000 031 x 4-6-2
Soboleski and Lee; Amber Cowher, Cooper (6) and Pepper. LP - Cowher
2B - B, Erica Miller; ES, Mary Beth Scotch
3B - ES, Deana Geist, Tara Buckley
HR - B, Becca Kehler 4th (none on); ES, Geist 5th (two on)
Records: Bloomsburg 17-2 (1-1 PSAC), ESU 7-7 (1-1 PSAC)