Softball ends season third in the nation after going 2-1 on third day of USCAA Championship Tournament

DUBOIS, Pa. --- Carlow University softball ended the 2025 season third in the nation at the USCAA Small College World Series after battling to a 2-1 day.

The No. 8-seed Celtics eliminated No. 3-seed Penn State DuBois and No. 7-seed Penn State Schuylkill in upsets before falling to No. 2-seed Florida National University in the third game of the day at Heindl Field. Carlow ended the year 20-25 overall.

vs. Penn State DuBois: W, 7-4

The Celtics landed on the board with two unearned runs on one hit and an error in the bottom of the first inning.

The Lions (20-15) retired Carlow in order in the second and took a 3-2 lead in the top of the third with a single, a double and a two-out, two-run home run.

A diving play from DuBois' left fielder robbed the Celtics of a nice hit in the third, but Carlow tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. Mackenzie Egley (Shelocta, Pa./Armstrong HS) led off with a double to right field, and a ground out moved her over to third base. Taylor Egley (Shelocta, Pa./Armstrong HS) popped up to the second baseman, but a throwing error as Mackenzie Egley broke for home allowed the run to tie the game 3-3.

With runners on second and third and two outs in the top of the fifth, pitcher Anna Schumacher (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin HS) concluded a 10-pitch at-bat with a strikeout to end the inning.

Haley Bicko (Johnstown, Pa./Greater Johnstown HS) singled to start off the fifth inning, and Megan Pollinger (Coraopolis, Pa./West Allegheny Senior HS) hit a two-out double that ricocheted off the center field wall to put Carlow ahead 4-3. Mackenzie Egley doubled down left field line to bring her home safely, giving the Celtics a 5-3 advantage heading into the sixth.

A hit batter and an error put runners in scoring position for the Lions, but Mackenzie Egley took care of the next three batters with two pop-ups and a ground out to third base to end the inning unscathed. Carlow added two runs on four hits in the bottom half of the frame to extend its lead to 7-3.

Three hits in a row brought a run across for DuBois in the seventh and a walk loaded the bases before Head Coach Glenn Zinsmeister moved Bicko to the circle. A ground out to third saw a force out at home, and Schumacher picked up the second out with a fly ball to right field, holding the runner at third with a dart to home plate. The Celtics got the final out of the game with a pop fly to second base.

Schumacher picked up the win in the circle, allowing one earned run on five hits with two strikeouts in three innings of work. Bicko pitched the final inning to earn the save.

Mackenzie Egley went 3 for 3 with two doubles and two RBI, and Fran Beighley (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum Senior HS) went 2 for 4 with an RBI.

Kelsey Stuart was saddled with the loss after allowing five earned runs on 11 hits with one walk and one strikeout. Sienna Barnhart went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI, and Chelsea Busatto hit 2 for 4 with a home run, a double and two RBI.

vs. Penn State Schuylkill: W, 9-1 (5 inn.)

Carlow rode that momentum into the next game with a 9-1 run-rule contest over the Penn State Schuylkill Lions (21-19).

The Celtics scored four runs on three hits and an error in the first inning, and an error and four singles in a row tacked on three more runs in the top of the second to put Carlow ahead, 7-0.

Tatum Wiggs (Boron, Calif./Boron HS) retired the Lions in order in the bottom of the second, and Schuylkill scored its lone run in the bottom of the third with a single and a two-out double to left field.

Beighley singled to start off the fourth, and Mackenzie Egley hit a two-out double to right field to bring her around. A throwing error allowed Mackenzie Egley to score Carlow's final run, and the Celtics left a runner stranded in the bottom of the fifth to secure the win.

Wiggs earned the win, scattering four hits, striking out two and walking one. Beighley and Pollinger each hit 2 for 3 and Mackenzie Egley went 2 for 2 with a double and three RBI.

Kaely Walshaw was tabbed for the loss after allowing three earned runs on three hits with a walk in 0.2 innings.

vs. Florida National University: L, 9-3

It was a scoreless pitching duel through five innings before either team managed a run in the final game of the day at Heindl Field.

Pollinger robbed the Conquistadors (26-28) of a run in the third with a nice catch in left-center field, and Lexi Berta (DuBois, Pa./DuBois Central Catholic) recorded Carlow's first hit of the game in the bottom half of the frame, beating the throw to first with a slow-rolling infield single up the middle.

It was Florida National who struck first in the top of the fifth with a lead-off triple and a wild pitch adding a run to the board.

Carlow countered in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-1 lead. Wiggs led off with a single, and Taylor Egley (Shelocta, Pa./Armstrong HS) hit an 0-2 double to left field that got past the fielder who misjudged the ball and dove short. Wiggs came the whole way around and Taylor Egley made it to third on the throw.

Emilee Speicher (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson HS) singled to right field to bring Taylor Egley home safely, and a sacrifice bunt from Berta moved her over. A perfectly placed bunt by Bicko put runners on the corners, and Speicher scored on a wild pitch before a fly out ended Carlow's barrage.

The Conquistadors strung together a big inning in the top of the sixth to gain the advantage. A walk, a single and a bunt loaded the bases, and a one-out sacrifice fly to left field cut Carlow's lead to 3-2. Three singles and a double added five more runs for Florida National, ahead 7-3. The inning ended on a miscue when Florida National failed to re-enter a batter, resulting in the final out.

The Conquistadors retired Carlow in order in the bottom of the sixth and added two insurance runs on two hits and an error in the top of the seventh.

Bicko suffered the loss after allowing five earned runs on six hits in two-thirds of an inning. Taylor Egley doubled with an RBI.

Sophia White earned the complete game win, scattering five hits and allowing three earned runs with six strikeouts. Four different Conquistadors went 2 for 4 at the plate.

Last year Carlow finished fourth in the 10-team tournament. In recent history, the Celtics' best finish was runner-up in the 2016 National Championship.