QUAKERTOWN – The 15th-ranked and PSAC East top-seeded East Stroudsburg University softball team was up to its usual tricks as the Warriors used a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Bloomsburg with the help of a Denva Shaw-Tait two-run home run in their opening game of the PSAC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Veterans Park. The Warriors (42-13) advance to the second day of the PSAC Tournament and will play West Chester on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. The Huskies (33-21) remained alive in the PSAC Tournament after taking down IUP, 6-1, in the elimination bracket in their third game of the day.

ESU trailed 4-1 following the second inning but cut the deficit to 4-2 in the bottom of the third and scored three runs in the bottom of the 5th to secure a win in its first game of the PSAC Tournament. ESU begins the PSAC Tournament with a victory for just the fourth time in 10 appearances. 

Pitching Notables

• Paige Zigmund (W, 19-7) earned her 19th win of the season, allowing six hits and four earned runs in five innings of work. She forced nine flyouts and six groundouts, while walking a pair of batters.
• Davenport (S, 8), the PSAC East Pitcher and Freshman of the Year, entered the game in the sixth and closed out the contest, allowing just one hit while striking out two in her eighth save of the season.

Batting Notables

• Shaw-Tait (2-3) provided three RBIs, including the go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the 5th. She started the comeback in the bottom of the 3rd with a two-out RBI single.
• Delaney Ridgell (3-3, 2B) smacked her 100th career hit in the contest and cut the deficit to 4-3 after an RBI double in the bottom of the 5th, which preceded the Shaw-Tait home run.
• Shannon Edelman (1-3) opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a two-out RBI single.
• Reilly Vicendese (2-4, 2 runs, SB) collected a pair of hits and scored two runs.

How It Happened

• The Warriors jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Vicendese came around to score following a one-out single. The senior advanced to second on a groundout and stole third before racing home on an RBI single off the bat of Edelman.
• Bloomsburg responded with a two-out rally in the top of the second inning, scoring four runs on five hits to grab a 4-1 lead. Emma Little got the scoring started with a two-run home run down the left field, and Kayleigh Lenner followed with a two-run single.
• ESU drew within two runs in the bottom of the third inning as Shaw-Tait delivered a two-out RBI single to plate Weirich.
• Davenport entered the game and allowed just one hit over the final two frames. She got out of a jam in the top of the 7th after a leadoff error and a one-out single. She forced a pair of flyouts to secure the save in her first postseason appearance of her career.

Up Next

• The Warriors are set to battle PSAC East third-seed West Chester tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the next round of the PSAC Tournament at Quakertown's Veterans Park.