CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The University of Charleston was eliminated from the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region 1 Softball Tournament after consecutive one-run losses to host California University of Pennsylvania at Lilley Field on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Golden Eagles end their historic season with 38 wins and 14 losses and competed in their first NCAA Tournament, picking up two victories in their only appearance.
 
Game one was a pitcher's dual between Golden Eagle senior pitcher Courtney Fain and Vulcan hurler Alex Sagl, with Cal U coming out on top of a 1-0 game.  Charleston was only able to come up with one hit against Sagl through the seven innings, but also left six runners on over the course of the game.
 
The Vulcans took advantage of the one mistake Fain made in the game when Emily Price belted a solo homerun to right field in the fifth inning that gave Cal U the 1-0 lead.  That single run proved to be the game winner as the Vulcans held off UC in the sixth and seventh to force a winner take all game following the victory.
 
Jessie Rowe took the circle for Charleston in game two and saw her work out of trouble the first two innings but the Vulcans got to her in the third, plating two in the inning before giving way to Fain.  Cal U added another run in the fourth on a Courtney Sinclair homerun to give the Vulcans a 3-0 going to the fifth inning.
 
UC wouldn't go away easy as they rallied for two runs in the sixth to trim the deficit to one run, 3-2.  Bethany Williams began the inning by getting plunked followed by a Ayla Santos single to put runners on first and second with nobody out.  After a Katelyn Hamilton pop out to the shortstop, Kelly Browning singled through the left side to load the bases for Charleston. Alyssa Stanley earned a bases loaded walk to score UC's first run of the afternoon then Alayna Carlson drove in a run on a fielder's choice to make it a 3-2 game.  With runners on the corners, Sagl again worked out of a jam by striking out Rachelle Toppings to end the Golden Eagle sixth.
 
Fain continued her strong day in the circle, coming up with a scoreless seventh to give Charleston their final opportunity to tie or win the game.  Sagl, in her 13^th inning of work on the day, came up with her best work from the circle by striking out the side and giving Cal U the 3-2 win, advancing to the NCAA DII Atlantic Region Super Regional against West Virginia Wesleyan College.