Softball

FREEDOM CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS - WINNER'S BRACKET
DeSales University 2, Delaware Valley College 0

EDWARDSVILLE (PA) - Kristen Cybularz hurled a three-hit shutout as top-seeded DeSales University advanced to the Freedom Conference Championship Game with a 2-0 shutout over a drained Delaware Valley College squad in a winner's bracket contest.

The third-seeded Aggies (16-18) took the field just 30 minutes after their improbable, 5-4, 14-inning come-from-behind victory over defending conference champion King's College in the opening round. Playing, in essence, their third game of the day, they were no match for the Bulldogs and fell into the consolation bracket where they will meet the winner of the King's/FDU-Florham elimination game at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.

A win in that contest would send Delaware Valley to the Freedom Conference Championship Game (1:00 p.m. Saturday) for the first time in school history while a loss would end its season. Meanwhile, DeSales (26-12) will wait for its championship opponent and know that that team will have to beat them twice to win the title.

Cybularz allowed singles by Lacy Miles (first), Jennifer Bummer (third) and Bethany Pavlik (fourth) and a walk to Robyn Jackson (sixth). Only Bummer and Jackson reached scoring position as Cybularz improved to 10-5 on the year.

Bummer, who started and pitched five-plus innings in the win over King's, got the starting nod for Delaware Valley. The Bulldogs got to her for two unearned runs in the third as Maddie Roxandich led off with a bunt single, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on an Aggie error. Kyra Monarek, who reached on the error, later scored on an RBI single by Amanda Kensecki.

Bummer went three innings and allowed those two unearned runs and four hits. Ruhling, who pitched the final eight-plus innings of scoreless ball in the opening round, came in and pitched three more shutout innings and fanned three.