Boxscore

Megan McCormick (Evans City/Seneca Valley) and Kristen Tunno (Seaford, Va./Grafton) had RBI hits in the first inning and Erin Holloway (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) made the early lead stand up in a 2-1 victory over Kutztown that advanced IUP to the championship game of the NCAA Atlantic Region 1 pod Saturday at Podbielski Field.

The Crimson Hawks have won 10 in a row, including all eight of their postseason games, and improved to 35-6 on the season.

Due to rain that forced suspension of play in the second inning of a scoreless game between California and Winston-Salem State, IUP will play Sunday at 3 p.m against an opponent to be determined by the games earlier tomorrow.

The suspended game will resume at 10 a.m. Sunday with Kutztown (40-15) playing the winner of that game at 12:30 in game 5. IUP will play the winner of game 5 and will advance to the Super Regionals with a win. Should the Crimson Hawks lose that game, a seventh and deciding game will be played at a time to be announced.

IUP scored its only runs of the game on the strength three hits in its first at bat. Marissa Leslie (Claysburg/Claysburg-Kimmel) lined a one-out triple to center and McCormick followed with a single up the middle to give the Crimson Hawks a 1-0 lead. After Stef Poates (Yorktown, VA/Grafton) laid down a sacrifice bunt, Tunno dropped a double just inside the left field line to plate McCormick.

The RBI for McCormick was her fifth in two games at the regional tournament. The 2010 third team All-America first baseman also had 11 RBIs during the PSAC tournament.

The Golden Bears responded with a run in the top of the second to cut their deficit in half. With two outs and nobody on, Krista Tedjeske doubled to right center and Bri Knipe added a two-base hit to score Tedjeske.

Holloway (24-3) settled down after that, allowing only one hit the rest of the way but escaped a potential scoring inning in the fourth when Tunno made a diving catch in right with a runner at first and two outs to rob Katie Lynch of a potential game-tying hit.

Holloway walked one and struck out eight in winning for the eighth straight time in postseason play. After the fourth inning scare, she stranded a runner at second in the fifth and set down the final six Kutztown batters to wrap up the win.

The senior righthander threw her 100th complete game for IUP and also increased her school-record totals to 74 wins and 974 strikeouts, the latter figure ranking her third in PSAC history.

Monica Glomb (19-6) went the distance for the Golden Bears, scattering six hits and striking out five without issuing a walk.