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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Pratt's Two Home Runs in Nightcap Give Mansfield Split with Bloom – Mansfield earns First Divisional Title in Three-Way Tie with Bloom and Lock Haven  -- Seeded #2 from PSAC Central in Upcoming PSAC Championship – Will Play PSAC West #1 Cal on Wednesday

BLOOMSBURG – Kate Pratt hit two home runs and Caitlin Klobosits threw a five-hit complete game to lead Mansfield to a 5-2 win over Bloomsburg in the nightcap of a regular season ending doubleheader to clinch an improbable three-way tie with Bloomsburg and Lock Haven for a PSAC Central crown Saturday at Hutchinson Field.

Mansfield dropped the opener 4-2.

The split gives all three teams an 11-5 PSAC Central mark and with it a piece of the PSAC Central title.

It marks the first PSAC title of any kind for a Mountaineer women's program since Mansfield won the 1983 PSAC volleyball championship and the first-ever PSAC title for the Mountaineer softball program.

While all three programs share the title, Mansfield will be seeded second from the PSAC Central for the conference playoffs. Lock Haven will be the first seed after splitting their series with Mansfield and winning 3-of-4 from Bloomsburg. Bloomsburg, which split its series with Mansfield, is the third seed from the Central.

Mansfield will play California, the number one seed from the PSAC West, on Wednesday afternoon in Quakertown.

“Before the season even started we believed that  getting in to the playoffs wouldn't be determined until the last day,” said long-time head coach Edith Gallagher who's team missed out of a playoff berth on the last day of the season a year ago. “But nobody thought it would come down like this – we were concentrating on seeding, not divisional titles. I wish I had a camera when I told our seniors they were divisional champions.”

Things didn't look good for the Mountaineers to start the nightcap, Bloomsburg started Cait Paine on the mound in game two after the senior threw a one-hitter and struck out 16 Mountaineers in the opener.

Bloomsburg got a pair of runs off Mansfield ace Klobosits in the bottom of the first when the Huskies loaded the bases with no outs before getting a run on a sac fly by Chrissy Belko and a RBI single from Hannah Moir. But Klobosits buckled down after a Bloomsburg running mistake, striking out the final batter of the inning to end the threat.

Mansfield tied the game with a pair of runs in the top of the third when Courtney Bauder led off the inning with a single and scored on a double by Stephanie Simmeth.  After Paine fanned the next two batters, senior Danielle Long drove in the second run of the inning on a single.

Pratt gave Mansfield the lead in the fifth when she hit a two-out home run over the leftfield wall for a 3-2 Mountaineer lead.

Mansfield added another run in the sixth when freshman Taylor Stupski drilled a two-out home run down the left field line to increase the lead to 4-2.

Pratt closed out the scoring by drilling her second home run of the game and 16th of the season to lead-off the seventh.

Klobosits was outstanding after the first inning, retiring 15 of the next 16 Bloomsburg batters and only allowing two singles over the final six innings of the game. The senior lefty struck out eight and walked just one batter to improve to 12-4 on the season. The 12 wins are the most for a Mountaineer pitcher in a season since Kelly Morris posted a 12-9 mark in 2000.

Pratt, Megan Miller and Bauder each had two hits in the game while Stupski hit her first home run of the season.  Pratt's two RBIs gives her 48 on the season to tie Deb Gyms (1990) record for RBIs in a season.

In the opener, the Mountaineers couldn't overcome Paine's outstanding pitching performance despite a spirited effort in the circle from Pratt.
Bloomsburg scored four runs in the second, two of them unearned, before Mansfield got on the board in the top of the sixth.

Chara Dixon led off the inning with a walk and advanced to third on a double by Bauder. Dixon scored on a sac fly from Simmeth with Bauder later scoring off a fielding error.

Pratt scattered eight hits and struck out four while walking none in going the distance. Bauder's double was the only hit of the game for the Mountaineers.

Paine picked up the win, her 14th of the season.