Game one boxscore
Game two boxscore
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.—The Slippery Rock University softball team dropped two games against Shippensburg in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Crossover matchup. The Rock fell 8-2 in the first game and 9-7 in the second.
The losses drop SRU's overall record to 15-10 and hold strong to a 3-1 PSAC-West record going in to a showdown with Mercyhurst Saturday.
Shippensburg improves its record to 9-19 overall behind a powerful offensive front in both games.
In the first game, the Lady Raiders scored three runs in the opening inning when Hope Cornell nailed a three-run home run to right field.
In the bottom of the second Sheree Horvath scored on a Natalie Atkinson single to give the game a 3-1 score in favor of the visiting team.
Both teams remained scoreless until the fifth inning when Shippensburg's Courtney Steele singled to left field scoring Dana Ward. The Rock answered back with a Jessica Kortz solo homer to center field.
In the top of the seventh, Lindsey Grace intentionally walked two players to load the bases with two outs. Kiley Abersold took advantage for Ship with a grand slam home run sealing the first game.
Shauna Walker picked up the loss in the first game pitching four innings with four hits, two earned runs and five strikeouts. Walker now holds a 8-2 record this season. Dana Ward gets the win for Shippensburg in seven innings with eight hits and six strikeouts.
In the second game, Shippensburg started the fury in the second inning with Maura Lehman doubling to left field scoring two, and Shauna Byrnes scoring another to end the scoring in the second at 3-0. Right back at it in the third, Emily Parking popped out to the center fielder to score Cornell. Two more runs scored on an error by Rachel Henderson to have the score 6-0 in the bottom of the third.
It would not be until the bottom of the fourth until The Rock would have a hit. Kortz started the inning with a triple to right field. Amy Erickson scored Kortz on a drive to center field. Jenna Geibel then doubled and Henderson followed scoring both Erickson and Geibel. Kirsten Brant would line out to score Henderson, and Atkinson nailed a double to center field to score Jordan Zeunges and get SRU right back in to things at 8-5.
Shippensburg would score a run in the top of the sixth by Steele's home run for a 9-5 lead.
The Rock would not back down with Brant answering with a two-run shot of her own in the bottom of the sixth, but it would come up short as the offense could not produce any more runs to end game two at 9-7.
Shaylee Ianno picked up the loss with seven hits, five earned runs and one strikeout. Ward picked up her second win of the day pitching four innings with three hits and four strikeouts.
Kortz went 4-7 with two runs. Kortz has hit 10 home runs this season, which gives her 31 in her career, and sole possession of second place all-time. She is five home runs away from the all-time record held by Stacey Rhoades, with 35.
Brant was 2-6 with three RBIs, and Zeunges was 2-5 with two runs scored.
The Rock returns to action on Saturday traveling to Mercyhurst for a PSAC-West showdown. Both teams have 15-wins thus far this season, with The Rock holding strong in second place in the Western Division standings. First pitch of the double-header is scheduled for 1 p.m.
