Ladies make quick work of Mounties

Recap:
Wednesday, April 16 @ Mansfield:
Game 1: W 8-0
Kait Arbogast extended her scoreless innings streak to 20.1 straight innings as KU easily handled Mansfield in game one by a score of 8-0. Arbogast tossed the five inning complete game and allowed just two hits, while striking out eight. Steph Denlinger and Krista Cameron each had two hits and a homer. Ashley Fitzgerald continued her dominance at the plate, going 3-for-4 and driving in four runs. Maggie Reifsnyder was 2-for-3.
Game 2: W 6-0
The Golden Bears completed the day with another shutout, but this time it was Monica Glomb and Mary Hoch on the hill in the 6-0 affair. Hoch got the win, tossing five innings of three hit ball. Glomb pitched the final two innings, allowing just one hit. Fitzgerald again was 3-for-4 at the plate, drove in three runs, and scored twice. Denlinger walked in all four of her at-bats and scored three runs. Reifsnyder and Caitlin Hague had the only other KU hits in the game.

What we liked:
What else is new? Another doubleheader sweep—more great things to say. The pitching was almost perfect, as the Kait Arbogast-Monica Glomb-Mary Hoch trio allowed no runs on six hits and struck out 12 on the afternoon. Ashley Fitzgerald was a combined 6-of-8 (.750) at the dish, drove in a whopping seven runs, and scored three times. Steph Denlinger reached base in seven of her eight trips to the plate and scored five runs. Maggie Reifsnyder continues to improve, as she was 3-for-7 (.429) at the plate.

What we didn’t like:
There is nothing much to point out her, but a few players had a rough day. Leadoff hitter Kim Morrison had just one hit, but walked twice during the two games. Maria Schiavo was 0-for-7 at the plate out of the two spot in the order. Fortunately for them, Fitzgerald, Denlinger, Krista Cameron, and Maggie Reifsnyder had outstanding afternoons.

Impact:
Not only did KU sweep Mansfield, but Bloomsburg also split its doubleheader with East Stroudsburg. With eight divisional games to play, the Golden Bears (15-1) lead second place Bloomsburg (9-5) by five games. Shippensburg (9-7) currently has a relatively tight hold on the third and final playoff spot, but West Chester (6-8), ESU (6-10), Millersville (5-11) and Mansfield (4-12) can still get back in the race. The Golden Bears, ranked 10^th in the nation and 38-6 overall this season, need to win just two more games to clinch a playoff spot and are closing in on clinching the division title. It won’t be easy over the next few days, however, as they have what will likely be their hardest stretch of the season. They will host 19^th-ranked Bloomsburg at home on Friday and will then entertain 2^nd-ranked Lock Haven in a non-divisional doubleheader on Tuesday. A sweep of the Huskies on Friday would clinch KU at least a share of the PSAC East regular season title. I’ll have both of those games on the Golden Bear Network for your listening pleasure.