Game one boxscore
Game two boxscore

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.—The Slippery Rock University softball team was eliminated from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs on Wednesday when The Rock was swept by Mercyhurst at the SRU Softball Complex, 5-4 and 7-4. 

Kirsten Brant went 4-for-4 in the first game including her eighth home run of the season. Jenna Geibel smacked her 11th homer of the season in the second game, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored in the loss. 

The sweep by the Lakers (20-21 overall, 7-7 PSAC-W) gives them a spot in the PSAC playoffs for the first time in school history. Mercyhurst has won all four games in the series this year against SRU. 

The Rock will finish out the season on Friday at California (Pa.). The Vulcans are the number one seed in the western division with their 11-1 conference record. Their only loss was courtesy of The Rock earlier this season at the SRU Softball Complex, with a score of 3-1. 

The Rock (22-19 overall, 5-9 PSAC-W) started Shaylee Ianno who was replaced in the top of the sixth by Lindsey Grace. Ianno struck out one during that time with five hits and two earned runs. 

With SRU up 3-0 going in to the top of the sixth, the Lakers recorded three runs when Julie Harmon scored on a Michelle Schmitz's single to left field. Emily Redig scored on a Grace wild pitch and Schmitz would eventually score on a dropped fly ball by Kendra Kutz. At the end of the sixth inning, the score was tied 3-3. 

The Rock would record a hit in bottom of the sixth, but no runs to keep the tie intact. 

Andrea Sauers' double to right field would break the tie scoring in Kara Gorgos on a throw from the outfield. Sauers would score when Elizabeth Maier reached base on a error by Brant. 

With a 5-3 deficit going in to the bottom of the seventh, Brant came up big with her eighth homer of the season to cut the lead to 5-4 for the visitors. The final two batters could not capitalize in the rest of the inning, to drop the first game, 5-4. 

Grace was the losing pitcher allowing one earned run with one hit and one strikeout. 

Kristi Janoske picked up her 11th win of the season pitching a complete game with nine hits, three earned runs and four strikeouts. 

In the second game, Mercyhurst scored two runs after an error by Brittany Jones could have closed out the inning. The Rock would not score a run until Geibel's homer in the bottom of the third to give the Lakers a 2-1 lead. 

The Lakers would score four runs in the top of the fourth and SRU would score two in the bottom of the fifth when Rachel Henderson reached base on an error to score two, making the score 6-4 Mercyhurst. 

Mercyhurst wrapped up the game with a sacrifice ground ball by Schmitz, scoring Redig in the bottom of the sixth. 

Shauna Walker pitched in the losing effort with a complete seven inning game with 10 hits, five earned runs with two strikeouts and two walks. Amanda Norman gets her eighth win of the season with five hits and one strikeout. 

Note: Geibel's home run moved her in to a tie for fourth place on SRU's career home run list and Brant moves in to a tie for seventh on the single-season home run list. Her 15 career home runs put her in fifth place on the all-time home run list.