Saturday Update

The KU basketball teams were in action against Shippensburg at Keystone Hall on Saturday.

The ladies opened the day's action with a 74-68 victory, clinching themselves a spot in the PSAC Playoffs. The Golden Bears improve to 18-7 overall and 8-4 in the PSAC East. West Chester and Millersville won their games and both improve to 9-3 atop the division. Cheyney also won and has a comfortable 2 game lead on the fourth and final playoff spot at 7-5.

The men's team also game away with a win, thrashing the Red Raiders 103-75 to clinch at least a share of the PSAC East title. The victory improves the Golden Bears overall record to 22-3 and their divisional record to 11-1.

1/24: KU 69, Shippensburg 68

It wasn't easy, but the Golden Bears slipped by the Red Raiders on the road on Saturday.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Washington 15.6 - Another big all around day for the sophomore: 5-of-10 for 14 points, 9 boards, 6 assists, and 5 blocks. We could do without the 4 fouls, 4 turnovers
2. Ben 10.6 - Scored 20 points, but on 20 shots! Also added 8 boards, 4 assists, 4 blocks, 3 steals
3. Bower 9.8 - Played 34 minutes in this one, scoring 8 points and grabbing 8 boards
4. Woodlin 7.3 - 5-of-13 for 14 points, 6 boards, 3 steals
5. Dennis 5.7 - Scored 11 points on 9 shots and grabbed 10 rebounds before fouling out
6. Coombs 1.3 - Scored and had a rebound in 4 minutes
7. Coffey -0.3 - 2 boards, 2 turnovers highlighted 8 minutes of work
8. Gray -1.6 - Missed shot, rebound, and 4 fouls in 13 minutes

Inactives:
White
Vrabel
Wenner
Ford-Bey

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

1/24: KU 60, Shippensburg 71

Like a wise man once said, one picture is worth a thousand words. Unfortunately for the Golden Bears, the number shown most in this photograph was responsible for Shippensburg's 71-60 victory on Saturday as the Red Raiders nailed a ridiculous 14 three pointers.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Wisemiller 12.5 - 14 points, 4 steals, 3 dimes, and, as always, a single block
2. Schroeder 11.0 - Hit 7 of her team-high 14 shots for a team-best 16 points to go with 5 boards, 2 steals, and 3 assists
3. McQuade 9.3 - Missed another double-double by a rebound: 11 points, 9 boards
4. Starr 5.6 - 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and a 4:1 assist:turnover ratio
5. Melvin 5.2 - Another solid game as a starter: 6-of-13 for 15 points, 4 boards, 3 assists.
6. Dovey 0.6 - Still working her away back from injury: 0-for-3, 3 boards, assist, block
7. Mertz -0.1 - 2 fouls, block in 9 minutes
8. Greaves -1.9 -An ugly 4 minutes: 2 missed threes and 2 fouls
9. LeVan -3.1 - Ouch, again. 0-for-3 and a turnover in 5 minutes

Inactives:
Dellegrotti - Injured (Head)

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Saturday Update

The women's basketball team suffered a hard luck loss at Shippensburg on Saturday afternoon by a score of 71-60. Despite erasing an 18 point halftime deficit, the Golden Bears could not overcome a ridiculous 14 made three pointers by the Red Raiders. Kutztown drops to 3-1 in the PSAC East, while Shippensburg improves to 3-1.

The men's team won 69-68 against the Red Raiders and improve to 3-1 in the PSAC East.

Softball wins Regional opener

The KU softball team opened the NCAA Division II Mid-Atlantic Regional softball tournament with a 1-0 victory over Shippensburg in eight innings. The Golden Bears were led by a complete game effort from Kait Arbogast. KU's only run came in the bottom of the eighth when Steph Denlinger singled to left, enabling Maria Schiavo to score on a Shippensburg error.

KU now advances to the winner's bracket, where they will take on Bloomsburg at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. You can listen to a live broadcast of the game on the Golden Bear Network. Mike Clay and Scott Kemps will bring you the action starting at 4:20 p.m.

Complete Schedule/Results

Bloom-who? Shippen-what?

Recap:
Sunday, April 6 @ Bloomsburg:
Game 1: W 5-1
A Steph Denlinger three-run homer, coupled with a Kathy Gregg two-run blast, was enough to push KU past 8^th-ranked Bloomsburg by a score of 5-1. Kim Morrison and Gregg each had two hits in the win. Kait Arbogast was on the hill for KU and allowed just one run on five hits in a complete game effort. She also struck out eight en route to the win over BU pitcher Ashley Lynn, who along with Arbogast and Lock Haven’s Kristin Erb, is arguably one of the top three pitchers in the entire PSAC.
Game 2: W 2-1
Monica Glomb continued her hot streak, allowing one run on six hits in a complete game effort. The freshman also struck out 10 en route to her 10^th win of the season. KU had just four hits in the game, but two of them were solo homeruns off the bats of Denlinger and Ashley Fitzgerald.

Monday, April 7 vs. Shippensburg:
Game 1: W 6-5
Denlinger hit a game-tying solo homer in the seventh and then drove in the winning run with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the eighth to carry KU to a 6-5 win. Denlinger, Fitzgerald, and Krista Cameron each had a pair of hits, while freshman Maggie Reifsnyder broke out with a three hit game. Glomb allowed five runs, but none were earned on six hits in 5.1 innings of work. Mary Hoch was the winning pitcher, striking out six hitters while tossing 2.2 perfect innings in relief.
Game 2: W 2-0
KU scores just two runs on four hits, but Hoch and Arbogast teamed up to shutout the Raiders in the 2-0 affair. Hoch tossed the first four innings and allowed just two hits before Arbogast threw three innings of one-hit ball for the save. Fitzgerald led the offense with a 2-for-3 day, while Denlinger and Cameron each added a hit a piece.

What we liked:
Just as we expected, the outstanding pitching depth and the big bats carried KU through its toughest four-game set of the season. No one could have predicted that the Golden Bears would sweep both Bloomsburg and Shippensburg, but what a statement this team made. The Kait Arbogast-Monica Glomb-Mary Hoch pitching trifecta allowed a whopping two earned runs in 29 total innings during the four game set. The three pitchers combined to go 4-0, struck out 34 batters, and their combined ERA was 0.49.

The offense was led by their own powerful trifecta: Steph Denlinger, Ashley Fitzgerald, and Krista Cameron. Denlinger hit .455, scored five times, and drove in six over the weekend. Fitzgerald hit .462 and Cameron was .385 at the plate. Freshman Maggie Reifsnyder saw limited action, but hit .429 and drove in two runs in just seven at bats.

What we didn’t like:
The only weakness was the recurring one: top of the order hitting. Following leadoff hitter Kim Morrison’s two hits against Bloomsburg in game one on Sunday, she went hitless in the next three games. She ended up 2-of-16 (.125) and scored just once. In the two slot, Maria Schiavo was not much better, as she was just 2-of-15 (.133) at the dish and scored one run. KU is going to need more production and base runners if they hope to do damage at the regional and national level.

Impact:
The wins, as you might imagine, are huge. They improve KU’s PSAC East record to 9-1, which puts them three games ahead of second-place Bloomsburg (5-3) and four games ahead of the third-place combo of West Chester and Shippensburg (4-4, tie). Kutztown entered last week ranked 18^th in division II, but this should push them to near the top 10—especially since Bloomsburg was (for some reason) ranked ahead of them in eighth. The weekend sweep solidifies KU as the best team in East, which will make April 22nd^’s showdown at North Campus Field with Lock Haven (the top team in the PSAC West, the 2006 National Champions, and the 2007 national runner-ups), one for the ages.

Softball team looks to make statement

What: Shippensburg Red Raiders @ Kutztown Golden Bears
When: Monday, April 7, 2008 @ 2:30 p.m. (Doubleheader)
Where: North Campus Field on the campus of Kutztown University

Game Info
A few years ago, Shippensburg was the leader of the softball pack in the PSAC East. Since then, KU head coach Judy Lawes has stormed Canada and the Denlinger family to push the Golden Bears to the top. In 2008, both teams are contenders in the division and we should have a much clearer outlook on the rest of the season following Monday’s twinball action.

The Golden Bears enter the doubleheader at 28-6 overall this season (pending Sunday's results against Bloomsburg) and are coming off Wednesday’s home split against East Stroudsburg. KU was upset 6-2 in game one before storming back to a 7-1 game two victory.

The Red Raiders enter the game at 21-13 overall and enter the game after being swept by the Bloomsburg Huskies on Wednesday by scores of 3-2 and 6-4.

Both teams trail Bloomsburg in the PSAC East, but KU has yet to face the Huskies (doubleheader set for Friday postponed until Sunday), and this is the first meeting between the Raiders and Golden Bears. Bloomsburg sits at 4-0 with KU and Shippensburg just behind at 5-1 and 4-2, respectively.

Last season, the Golden Bears won all four meeting between the teams. KU won 10-3 and 10-1 on the road, before returning to North Campus Field for 4-2 and 9-3 victories.

Probable Starting Lineups
Kutztown:
1. Kim Morrison – 2B
2. Maria Schiavo – LF
3. Steph Denlinger – 1B
4. Ashley Fitzgerald – CA/DH
5. Krista Cameron – 3B
6. Krista Tedjeske – SS
7. Caitlin Hague – CA/DH
8. Maggie Reifsnyder – RF
9. Kathy Gregg – CF
SPs: Kait Arbogast & Monica Glomb/Mary Hoch

Shippensburg:
1. Liz Good – RF
2. Sarah Stengle – LF/DH
3. Hope Cornell – SS
4. Lori Knopf – DH
5. Courtney Steele – 3B
6. Lisamarie Ramagli – 1B
7. Amanda Bardo – 2B
8. Jillian Mullan/Chelsea Carson – OF
9. Rachel Wedell - CA
SPs: Lori Knopf & Danielle Shields

Scouting Report
The Golden Bears will look to the pitching trifecta of Kait Arbogast (14-4 1.93), Monica Glomb (7-2 1.97), and Mary Hoch (5-0 1.37) to keep them in games, while counting on the high-octane offense to power them to victories. Steph Denlinger (.387-7-32), Ashley Fitzgerald (.424-10-32), and Krista Cameron (.363-4-26) can all hit the ball out of the park at any given moment and they will need to provide that power on Friday. Kim Morrison (.262-3-14) will leadoff for KU and despite her recent struggles, she’s a proven hitter who can break out for 3-4 hits on any given day. Maria Schiavo (.340-0-12) will be called upon to move base runners out of the two hole, but is another threat to set the table with a big hit at any time. Krista Tedjeske (.231-1-14), Caitlin Hague (.250-1-9), Maggie Reifsnyder (.231-2-5), and Kathy Gregg (.298-5-14) are all capable hitters who will look to provide runs from the bottom of the order.

The Raiders are led by the talented pitching duo of Danielle Shields and Lori Knopf, who will each likely get a start on Saturday. Shields (10-3 1.60) leads the pitching staff with 70 strikeouts and is allowing opposing hitters to bat just .194 against her. Knopf (7-5 1.97) has struck out 65 and opponents are batting just .214 against her.

Knopf (.398-4-30) also does it as the plate, leading the team in batting average and doubles (9). She is tied with Hope Cornell (.356-5-30) for a team-high 30 RBIs. Cornell and Courtney Steele (.337-5-16) are tied with a team-best five homers. Chelsea Carson (.381-0-5), Sarah Stengl (.299-0-15), Amanda Bardo (.276-3-17), and Jillian Mullan (.269-0-6) are among the other regulars hitting about the .250 mark.

Outlook
A big day against the Raiders could be a big momentum and confidence builder heading into the rest of the divisional season. It won’t be easy against the always competitive Raiders, but KU is the better team. If the pitching staff comes to play and the heart of the order does their thing, there is no doubt the Golden Bears can make a big statement in the East.