Cal repeats as softball champions
The California University softball team repeated as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament champions Saturday afternoon by posting a win over West Chester and two victories against Gannon, all while facing elimination.
The Vulcans improved to 35-10 and claimed the eighth league title in program history, which is the second-most in PSAC history. The Vulcans, who last repeated with five-consecutive league titles from 1996-2000, also earned the automatic qualifier from the conference to the NCAA Tournament. Cal, which was the second seed in the latest NCAA Atlantic regional rankings, will learn its seed for the NCAA Tournament Monday, when the NCAA Selection Show will stream on NCAA.com at 10 a.m.
Junior pitcher Alex Sagl was named the PSAC Tournament MVP after posting a 5-0 record and one save in six appearances. She led all pitchers at the weekend tournament with a 0.38 ERA, 36.2 innings pitched, 46 strikeouts and a .141 opponents’ batting average. Sagl tossed a complete game in each of her five starts, including three shutouts, and finished with a 5.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The three-time PSAC West Pitcher of the Year improves to 21-4 this year to become the first Cal pitcher since former All-American Danielle Penner to record three-consecutive seasons with at least 20 victories.
The Vulcans opened play yesterday with a 6-0 victory against West Chester, as Sagl tossed a two-hit, complete-game shutout. She nearly matched her career high with 14 strikeouts over 7.0 innings (115 pitches) and allowed just nine hitters to put a ball in play. Golden Rams starter Amanda Houck (19-6) suffered the loss after yielding five runs, all earned, on four hits and four walks in 3.2 innings.
The Vulcans then rallied for an 8-5 victory after a seven-run sixth inning against Gannon, which entered the day with an unbeaten record at the double-elimination tournament. Kaity Finley and Emily Price each finished 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored and freshman designated player Hailey Wilson went 2-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored.
In the PSAC Championship, Cal scored the game-winning run in the top of the seventh when Finley scored from second on an RBI single up the middle by Lindsey Reicoff. The Vulcans finished the game with seven hits, as Finley and Reicoff each collected two hits and scored once.