Wedell's Game-Winning RBI Gives Softball Split at No. 24 Bloomsburg
Apr. 19, 2006
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - An RBI-single by freshman Rachelle Wedell (Baltimore, Md./Northeast) in the top of the eighth of game two gave Shippensburg its third extra-inning victory this season as the Lady Raiders split a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader at rival Bloomsburg on Wednesday, 4-0 and 8-5.
With the score tied at 5-5, Wedell singled to center field to score junior Heather Chantiles (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) for her second game-winning RBI this season and the second against Bloomsburg. On March 31, Wedell singled to left field in the bottom of the eigth, scoring Chantiles to give the Lady Raiders (30-12, 11-3 PSAC East) a 1-0 victory over the Huskies in game one of a doubleheader split at Robb Field.
Freshman Kelly Nelson (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) increased the team's lead to three with a two-RBI single that scored Chantiles and senior Kristen Marll (Severn, Md./Archbishop Spalding).
Shippensburg, who is currently ranked No. 14 in Division II and No. 2 in the Mid-Atlantic Region, is now 3-1 in extra-inning games and has won its last three after losing a 3-1 decision in nine innings to St. Cloud State on March 11.
The Lady Raiders also reached the 30-win mark for the fifth consecutive season, all in six seasons under head coach Bob Brookens. Over the last five seasons, Shippensburg has averaged 38 wins while posting a .774 winning percentage with three-straight PSAC championships.
The Lady Raiders hold a two-game lead over second-place Kutztown in the Eastern Division standings following the Golden Bears' sweep of East Stroudsburg on Wednesday. Bloomsburg is currently in third, one-game behind Kutztown and one ahead of fourth-place Millersville.
Shippensburg trailed 4-1 after three before scoring four runs, including three in the sixth to take a 5-4 lead. After Marll singled to score sophomore Liz Good (Croydon, Pa./Truman) to tie the game, Wedell grounded out to shortstop to score freshman Becky Brensinger (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) to give the Lady Raiders a one-run lead.
However, in the bottom of the seventh, Bloomsburg (26-12, 10-5 PSAC East) tied the game on a single by Lisa Bohner to force extra innings.
Chantiles, Marll and Wedell, Shippensburg's one through three hitters, combined to go 8-for-15 with four RBI and four runs. Chantiles and Marll each went 3-for-5 as Chantiles extended her hit streak to nine games while raising her season hit total to 76, two shy of the record set by Jaime Dacey last year.
Senior Kelley Tiesi (Baltimore, Md./Catholic School of Baltimore) entered the game in the sixth in relief of sophomore Danielle Shields (Laurel, Del./Sussex Tech) to pick up her 92nd career win while striking out three to increase her career total to 974. Shields scattered four hits over five innings and allowed just two earned runs but did not factor into the decision.
In game one, Tiesi suffered just her fifth loss in 21 starts this season while striking out five and surrendering only one earned run. All four Bloomsburg runs came in the fifth inning, three of which were unearned after a Shippensburg error should have ended the inning.
The Lady Raiders managed only three hits in the first game, their second-lowest total of the season as the Huskies' Ashley Lynn struck out 10 while allowing just three hits. Lynn took a perfect game into the top of the sixth before freshman Chantal Gross (Hanna, Ind./South Central), Chantiles and Marll hit three consecutive singles to load the bases with two outs.
Shippensburg travels to West Chester on Friday before facing Kutztown at home on Saturday.
- Lady Raider Softball -
