Ladies swept by Bloomsburg and Lock Haven, drop to 19th in Division II
Recap:
Tuesday, April 22 vs. #2 Lock Haven:
Game 1: L 1-2
They say history tends to repeat itself and game one certainly proved “them” right. Just like a season ago with a PSAC playoff game on the line, the Lady Eagles were down to their last strike before managing a comeback win over KU. This time it was LHU’s Britt Muthard blasting a two-out, two-strike Kait Arbogast pitch over the left center field fence to
put the Lady Eagles ahead 2-1 in the top of the seventh. KU could not answer in the bottom of the inning and LHU held on for the 2-1 win in game one.
Loss aside, Arbogast had a stellar outing, allowing just two earned runs on six hits in a complete game effort. KU managed six hits against Kristin Erb, Division II’s top pitcher. Kim Morrison, Maria Schiavo, Ashley Fitzgerald, Caitlin Hague, Krista Tedjeske, and Kathy Gregg each had one hit. Schiavo had an RBI single that scored Maggie Reifsnyder.
Game 2: L 0-16
Three freshman pitchers combined to allow 16 runs, eight earned, on 16 hits in game two, as Lock Haven rocked KU 16-0 in five innings. Monica Glomb started the game, was replaced by Mary Hoch, re-entered the game, and then retired for the day in favor of Lauren Doering. The KU defense was not very helpful, committing five errors in the loss. KU had just one hit against Kristin Erb, a single in the fourth inning by Kim Morrison, which ended Erb’s bid for a perfect game.
What we liked:
If you’ve been following this rivalry since last May, this might make you laugh out loud, but I’m going to say it anyways: At least we know it’s possible for the Golden Bears to beat Lock Haven.
Last season, not only did KU beat Kristin Erb once, they also were one strike away from beating her twice. On Tuesday, the Golden Bears were, again, one strike away from beating her, before another last ditch effort resulted in a miracle win for the Lady Eagles. That couldn’t possibly happen a third time…could it?
The offense looked decent in game one, building scoring opportunities in almost every inning. Unfortunately, Erb got herself out of every jam except one—and that was partially due to an error by her right fielder. These teams are likely to meet again come playoff time and regardless of yesterday’s sweep, KU is more than capable of beating Erb and the Lady Eagles. They just need to catch a few breaks.
What we didn’t like:
I was extremely disappointed with the effort in game two. The Golden Bears came into the first game with a lot of enthusiasm and confidence, but after the late LHU win, KU came out sloppy in game two and never seemed to have a chance. Lock Haven jumped all over the young KU pitching staff for 16 runs including two grand slams.
Come the playoffs, not only will the freshmen pitchers need to be a lot better, the offense is going to have to find ways to manufacture runs against Erb. The offense was nowhere to be found and the defense was as flat as ever. Five errors in five innings is not going to cut it for a team that has hopes to compete on the national level.
If the sweep by Bloomsburg was your average, everyday wake up call, this sweep by Lock Haven should serve as a bucket of freezing cold water, a slap in the face, an 80 pound dog on the bed, or a trio of infants jumping on the bed screaming on Christmas morning. As the playoffs draw near, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee.
Impact:
The new NFCA Division II rankings were released Wednesday morning, but did not include the results of the doubleheader with Lock Haven. Last week’s losses to Bloomsburg did cost KU, however, as they fell from 10th to 19th in the poll. Meanwhile, Lock Haven dropped one spot to third and Bloomsburg jumped back up to tenth.
The Golden Bears (17-3) have already clinched a playoff spot and are still in line to win the PSAC East, as they hold a two-game lead over Bloomsburg (15-5). KU has four games still to play—a set of doubleheaders at Shippensburg and
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