BLOOMFIELD, NJ - Kirsten Wilson's walk-off single to right center field plated
Angela Hauser and
Aubrey Orr to cap a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh as the Bears topped regionally ranked Wilmington 3-2. The win clinched a spot in next week's CACC Tournament for Bloomfield for the fifth straight season. The Bears dropped game one, 13-3.
In game one, Bloomfield (23-19-1, 13-13 CACC) fell behind when Wilmington hit a number of home runs, three by first basemen Ashley Bennett.
Bloomfield scored their only runs in the fifth when
Aubrey Orr hit her first career home run, a three run shot to center field off of Wilmington senior Chelsea Botsch. It was the first run allowed by Botsch since April 2, a span of 51 innings.
Between games, Bloomfield honored their three seniors,
Angela Hauser,
Kelly Stites and captain
Shannon Brennan.
The Bears fared better in game two behind another fine performance in the circle by
Stephanie Miller. The WIldcats scored a single run in the first and another on a solo homer in the fourth, but Miller (11-11) kept Wilmington, the sixth-ranked team in the East Region at bay for most of the afternoon.
Facing a 2-0 deficit, Bloomfield rallied in the seventh to win it.
Miller started the inning with a single and
Angela Hauser followed with a pinch-hit walk. Orr then walked to load the bases and
Janese Timmons drove home Bloomfield's first run with an infield hit. That brought up Wilson, who delivered a sharp single to right center for the win. On the play, an excellent throw actually beat Orr home, but a slight bobble by Wilmington's catcher and a great slide by Orr gave Bloomfield the win.
Before the games, Bloomfield welcomed Gavin Franschman and his family as their honored guest for Autism Awareness Month. Gavin is a local eight-year old boy who, along with his family, have started Gavin's Galdiators to benefit REED Academy. a school for children with autism. The Bears were able to raise funds through a raffle (which was won by BC alum
Krystina Poloni) and also had Gavin throw out the first pitch of the game.
With the win, Bloomfield clinched a spot in the CACC playoffs for the fifth straight season and also clinched a wnning season. Their 23 wins is the third most regular season wins the team has had during the Division II era. The Bears have finished .500 or better each year since 2010.
After beating Post and Wilmington this week, two teams ranked in the top 10 of the East Region, Bloomfield finished the season 13-13 in conference play. There are makeup games scheduled for tomorrow and Bloomfield's seed in the playoffs will be determined by the outcomes of those games. The Bears figure to either be the seventh or eighth seed and should face either Dominican or Caldwell.
The CACC playoffs start Thursday at Georgian Court University.
