Freshman Kacie Easley blasted a solo home run in the eighth inning to lift the No. 19-ranked Angelo State softball team (50-14) to a 5-4 win over No. 6-ranked Bloomsburg to advance to the semifinals of the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship Finals. It was the second in as many games that ASU had been pushed to extra innings, falling 1-0 to No. 3-ranked Hawaii Pacific Friday night to be sent to the losers' bracket.
The Rambelles will next play at 12 p.m. Sunday against No. 2-ranked Valdosta State with a berth to the national finals on the line. ASU will need two wins over the Lady Blazers to advance to Monday's title game, scheduled for 2 p.m. on CBS College Sports. This marks the second straight year that ASU has advanced to the national semifinals.
Angelo State had a chance to grab an early lead as senior Sarah DeMoss led off the third inning with an infield single and then quickly stole second base. Junior Kaycee Taylor followed with a hard single up the middle, but DeMoss was thrown out at the plate. Bloomsburg scored a run each in the fourth and the fifth to jump ahead. The Huskies got a solo home run from Sam Pientack to lead off the fourth frame and added an RBI single by Lacy Mauro, scoring Nikki Shiko from second base, to take a 2-0 lead in the fifth.
ASU then erupted for four runs, all with two outs, in the bottom of the fifth inning to grab a 4-2 lead. Freshman Chelsey Walters led off the frame with a single through the right side of the BU infield, but Rambelles followed the hit with a pair of pop ups. ASU then got another infield single by DeMoss to give the Rambelles a pair of base runners. Taylor then laced a single to left field, scoring Walters from second base, and DeMoss would come home on a throwing error by the Huskies, tying the game, 2-2.
After an infield single by junior Alix Dean, giving the Rambelles runners at the corners, BU intentionally walked Easley to load the bases. Freshman Amanda Wilhelm then gave ASU the lead with an RBI single up the middle, scoring sophomore pinch runner Jasmaine Moore from third. Junior Brittany Astle added a fourth run in the frame on a bases-loaded walk to give the Rambelles a 4-2 advantage.
However, the Huskies tacked on two runs in the top of the sixth to knot the game, 4-4. Pientack added her second home run of the game to open the top of the sixth and BU added the game-tying run two batters later with a double by Shavaun Fisher that scored Mandy Koch from second.
The Huskies (50-8) threatened in the seventh inning, leaving two runners on when Koch ended the frame with a strikeout. ASU could not complete the game in regulation as the Rambelles failed to get a base runner, but BU also went three-up, three-down in the top of the eighth to set up Easley's team-leading 16th home run of the year. Easley led off the bottom of the eighth and hit the game-winning homer on a 2-1 count.
Senior right-handed Chelsea Nelson (29-9) earned the victory in relief, tossing the final 3.0 innings. Nelson entered the game with a 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning, but gave up two runs after the first three batters she faced. She then settled down and had two strikeouts without a walk as her offense gave her the win. Senior right-hander April Haywood started the game and tossed the first 5.0 innings. Haywood retired three Huskies via strikeout, walked one and hit one batter in a solid start.
Easley ended the game 2-fof-3 with an RBI and a run scored as one of three Rambelles with a multi-hit game. DeMoss went 2-for-4 with a run scored while Taylor went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
For BU, Fisher (35-7) was handed the loss after giving up five earned runs on 10 hits in 7.0-plus innings of work. Fisher struck out six Rambelles and walked two. Pientack led the Huskies with a 3-for-4 performance with a pair of solo home runs.