Box Scores
1st game - IUP 12, ESU 6
2nd game - California 7, ESU 3

CALIFORNIA – IUP and No. 20 California both used big sixth innings to knock East Stroudsburg University out of the PSAC softball tournament on Friday afternoon at Lilly Field at California (Pa.).

The Warriors (19-30), who were making their fourth straight appearance in the PSAC postseason, lost the opener 12-6 to IUP and led California 3-1 going into the bottom of the sixth before a six-run inning gave the top-seeded Vulcans a 7-3 victory.

Junior CF Alicea Ashe set the school record with her 10th home run of the season in the opener, breaking the record set in 2006 by Jen Veronesi, who also holds the career record with 18 home runs. Ashe entered the season with two homers and has 12 in her career, fourth all-time.

ESU hit three home runs on the day, all in the first game, to set the school record with 32 on the season. Sophomore 3B Rachel Gieringer hit her fourth of the year and sophomore 1B Brittany Zanzalari went deep for the first time in her career for the record-setting homer. ESU hit 31 homers during the 2006 season.

In the first game of the day against IUP (34-8), Gieringer gave ESU a 1-0 lead with her homer in the top of the first but the Crimson Hawks struck quickly, with four runs on three hits and two errors to go on top 4-1.

IUP added single runs in the second and fourth before the Warriors made a bid to get back in the game.

Ashe's two-run homer made the score 6-3 in the fifth inning. IUP got the runs back in the bottom of the frame, but the Warriors struck for three more in the sixth to pull within 8-6 as Zanzalari punctuated the inning with a two-out, two-run homer.

ESU made six defensive miscues in the game and just three of IUP's 12 runs were earned off junior pitcher Caitlin Monahan. The Crimson Hawks capitalized on three errors in the sixth and scored four runs on just one hit, an RBI double by Michelle Bivona, to break the game open in the bottom of the sixth.

Erin Holloway (24-4) threw a complete game for IUP, striking out seven and allowing six runs (all earned), six hits and two walks. Monahan gave up 12 hits and the nine unearned runs.

In the second game, the Warriors were better defensively and scored three runs in the top of the fifth to take a 3-1 lead on the No. 20-ranked Vulcans (31-9).

Lauren Shaheen took a no-hitter into the fifth before senior RF Kara Darcey singled to lead off the inning. Zanzalari drew a walk and sophomore C Samantha Capriotti advanced the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Freshman LF Tegan Wendell followed with an RBI single, Zanzalari scored on a double steal and sophomore SS Pam Sellers stroked an RBI double down the right field line before Maria Greco relieved Shaheen and got the final two outs of the inning.

Senior Jackie Battaglino had a strong outing in the circle for the Warriors until the sixth, when Cal scored six runs to go ahead 7-3. The Vulcans put their first three runners on base on a single, hit batter and an RBI double and Julia Mueller hit a three-run homer to give her team the lead.

Greco retired all eight batters she faced to extend her hitless streak to 15.1 innings. She threw her first two career no-hitters earlier this week, blanking Gannon on Monday and Slippery Rock on Tuesday.

Gieringer was 2-for-2 vs. IUP and 0-for-3 against California. She has hit .500 (5-for-10) with two home runs in four career games in the PSAC playoffs. Zanzalari also had a two-hit game in the opener, including her first career homer.

Darcey, Wendell and Sellers collected ESU's hits in the second game as Shaheen (4.1 IP, three hits, five strikeouts) and Greco (2.2 IP, four strikeouts) combined to strike out nine. Greco was credited with the win to improve to 12-5.

California played IUP in the third game of the day with the winner of the three-team, double-elimination tournament at Cal advancing to next weekend's three-team PSAC championship bracket.

The Warriors have one doubleheader left on their 2010 schedule, hosting Georgian Court on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. at Zimbar Field.