Box Score
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mounties Fall to Bloom Twice in Tight PSAC East Race

 MANSFIELD – Courtney Bauder's leadoff home run in the opener started the day off with a bang for the Mansfield University softball team but the afternoon ended in a whimper for the Mountaineers with a pair of losses to Bloomsburg in a PSAC East doubleheader at Helen Lutes Field.

Mansfield dropped the opener 13-2 before suffering a 6-2 setback in the nightcap.

In the opener it looked like it was going to be Mansfield's day when Bauder smashed the first pitch of the game for the Mountaineers over the left field fence for her third home run of the season.

Pratt, making her third start in the circle in a 72 hour span, held Bloomsburg scoreless for the first four innings with the Mountaineers scoring another run on RBI single by Ashley Inman to take a 2-0 lead after four complete innings of play.

But things went south for Mansfield starting in the top of the fifth. Rachel Fredell led off the inning with a single and scored on a game-tying two run home run by Chrissy Belko. Bloomsburg would score five more runs on just two hits to take what would prove to be an unbeatable 7-2 lead.

Kaitlyn Harris and Ashley Inman had two hits apiece for the Mountaineers with Inman also driving in a run. Pratt took the loss.

Taylor Parker threw a complete-game five-hitter to pick up her 10th win of the season and also went 2-3 from the plate with three RBI's for Bloomsburg.

In the nightcap Bloomsburg jumped on starter Emily Crandell for three runs in the first, two of them coming on a two-run home run by Parker.

Bloomsburg added a solo run in the third to increase the lead to 4-0 with starter Mallory Tomaschik holding the Mountaineers hitless through the first four innings.

Inman opened the fifth with a single through the left side and later scored on an error after a Kaitlyn Harris single to close the gap to 4-1.

Mansfield threatened again in the sixth when Kayla Hahn led off the inning with a single and moved to third on a double by Bauder. One out later, Pratt singled in a run to pull to 4-2.

Bloomsburg got two runs back in the top of the seventh and Mansfield's last inning effort came up short stranding two runners.

Crandell went the distance in taking the loss with Tomaschik improving to 4-2 with the win.

The losses drop Mansfield back to fifth place in the PSAC East with a 9-11 conference mark just behind Lock Haven at 11-13.

Mansfield, which has four doubleheaders next week, the final week of regular season play, travels to Bloomsburg on Tuesday before hosting Lock Haven on Wednesday.