Point Park playoff run reaches final four teams of RSC Championship

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- No. 2 seed Point Park University made a run to the final four teams of the River States Conference Softball Championship with its performance on Friday, May 5. The Pioneers had their season cut down with a tough loss, 1-0, to No. 1 overall seed IU Southeast on Friday night. 

Point Park (22-18) earlier in the secured a strong playoff victory over No. 3 WVU Tech, 5-2, to stay alive. That victory pushed the Pioneers to one of just four teams still remaining in the bracket as the tournament reached its later stages. 

Unfortunately for the Pioneers, a classic softball pitcher's duel went the way of IU Southeast to end their season. Jada Simon pitched all 7.0 innings in the final game giving up just five hits and one run. She was edged by Madison Wahthen from IU Southeast, who also gave up just five hits in her complete game but posted a shutout. 

Erin Templemen hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth, and that stood up as the only run. IU Southeast survived to the loser's bracket final, where it will face the other No. 1 seed Rio Grande (Ohio) on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. No. 3 St. Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.) awaits in the finals undefeated so far at 3-0 on the weekend as the only other team left. 

Point Park started out the championship with a narrow loss of 6-5 to St. Mary-of-the-Woods, which is in position for its second conference title in a row. That dropped the Pioneers to the loser's bracket of the six-team, double-elimination draw. 

The Pioneers ended up playing WVU Tech in their first game on Friday, which was directly after the Golden Bears had fell to the loser's bracket with a 3-2 loss to No. 1 Rio Grande. 

Point Park got some big hits from Melanie Taylor and Jada Simon and a complete game from Angalee Beall to provide the difference in the 5-2 in over WVU Tech. 

Not to be outdone at the plate, it was winning pitcher Beall who got the Pioneers on the board in the top of the third. She came up with an RBI single for a 1-0 lead. 

Beall had to protect that slim margin all the way until the sixth when Simon blasted a two-run homer to up the lead to 3-0.

WVU Tech did cut the score to 3-2 with a pair of runs in the bottom half, but a 1-6-3 putout up the middle on a quick play from shortstop Taylor ended the threat with a couple of runners on and kept Point Park ahead. 

The Pioneers tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh, which was highlighted by Taylor's RBI triple. She was 3 for 4 and scored two runs. 

Beall finished off her complete in the bottom half. The Golden Bears brought the tying run to the plate with two outs, but Beall got a groundout back to the circle to end it. She gave up just five hits and two runs in the outing. 

The first game was as top pitching matchup as well as Courtney Miles went for WVU Tech. The Pioneers got to her for five runs (three earned) on six hits, and it was enough with Beall and an errorless Point Park defense doing its part on the other side. 

The second game of the day did not have many scoring chances for the Pioneers until the seventh inning. Point Park was unable to get more than one hit in any of the first six innings. 

That changed in the bottom of the seventh. Alex Bondi led off with a single, and Jada Simon singled right after to put two runners on. A walk to Sydnie Reese loaded the bases with no outs. But the Pioneers were unfortunately able to get the key hit as Wahthen barred down and got the final three outs to preserve the 1-0 lead. 

Wahthen finished with eight strikeouts and just one walk. The Pioneers left six on base during the game with just three the first six innings. 

The postseason run to the final four teams of the RSC Championship was the second year in a row and the third time in the last four tournaments (2019, 2022 & 2023) that the Pioneers went that far.