LANGHORNE, PA - What a difference a week makes.
In one of the most dramatic and exciting seasons in PBU softball history, the Crimson Eagles played fantastic ball through their last nine games of the year to pull off a late season rally for the ages.
Sitting on the outside playoff bubble looking in with a 2-5 mark in conference play just seven days ago, PBU finally gelled together the past week, playing their best ball of the season to-date.
Although young, many Crimson Eagle faithful felt the softball team had a shot to vie for the conference title at the beginning of the season. But a 1-10 record to begin the year and a 2-5 NEAC record on April 19 caused many to question PBU's chances to even make the playoffs.
But all of that changed last Saturday when PBU started a rally that would propel the group to just their second postseason bid in program history. The softball team won eight out of nine games over the last seven days of the regular season, tripping up just once in a 3-6 loss to Penn State Harrisburg. The group's overall record shifted from 7-14 to 15-15 overall during that span, an impressive feat especially considering that PBU had fallen in 10 of their 11 first games.
So Saturday, when playing in back-to-back contests that would seal a postseason bid, PBU showed the type of heart you look for in a championship caliber team. The Crimson Eagles posted back-to-back shutouts against Cazenovia College Saturday afternoon, beating the Wildcats 4-0 in game one and following up with a 9-0 triumph in game two.
In the opening contest, PBU was fueled by sophomore outfielder Valarie Haataja's first career home run, a three-run shot that blew open a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Mix in Betsy Ranck's second shutout on the mound this season, and PBU walked away with a seemingly easy 4-0 victory in game one. Although the Crimson Eagles held a marginal edge in hits for the game (6-5), PBU managed to capitalize when needed as Cazenovia left five costly runners in scoring position for the game.
In game two, junior hurler Ashley Melendez's numbers speak for themselves. Melendez allow just two hits, no walks, and -- most importantly -- no runs in PBU's 9-0 thrashing of the Wildcats. The win marks Melendez's third shutout of the season, and the back-to-back blanks for PBU defensively marks the first time in over half a decade that PBU has shutout an opponent in consecutive contests.
PBU hit .556 as a team for the game -- their third highest average during a game for the year. The Crimson Eagles also generated 10 more at bats (27-17) than the Wildcats for the contest, largely due to the hitting discrepancy.
Haataja led the way offensively for PBU by going four for five at the plate for the day while scoring four runs and knocking in three. Bethany Hill chipped in with four hits in five at bats while Melendez went three for three overall with two RBI's and a run scored.
The third seeded Crimson Eagles will begin NEAC playoffs next weekend when the team travels to Keuka Park, New York to take on second seeded Penn State Berks at a time to be determined. The victor of Friday's game will move into the NEAC championship, with the winner of the conference title to be given an automatic berth to the NCAA III National Tournament.
