Saginaw Valley State Box Score
Lake Erie Box Score

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Slippery Rock University softball team split a pair of games Tuesday at the Rebel Spring Games, defeating Lake Erie 6-5 in 10 innings and losing to Saginaw Valley State 5-3. Through six games this season, Slippery Rock has compiled a record of 4-2.

The Rock's victory over Lake Erie (2-4) was a dramatic one as SRU found itself trailing throughout the game, including being down two runs heading into the bottom of the 10th inning before completing the comeback victory.

Jenna Geibel went 1-for-4 and had the game-winning hit that drove in Shardea Croes, who also went 1-for-4 with a run scored and one RBI against the Storm. Natalie Atkinson registered a 2-for-4 day for The Rock while also scoring one run and driving in another.

Lindsey Grace took the mound for SRU, pitching four innings and giving up three runs while also striking out three batters. Shaylee Ianno (3-0) came on in relief of Grace in the fifth inning and held Lake Erie to just three hits and two runs through the game's final six innings to get her third win of the season.

After a scoreless first inning, Lake Erie tallied three runs in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead. The damage could have been worse for The Rock, but Grace got out of a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout to retire the side.

SRU got on the board in the bottom of the third inning thanks in part to Karra White. With two Rock runners on first and second with no outs, White came on to pinch run for Rachel Henderson and promptly stole third base. Croes then drove in White thanks to a single. After three innings, Lake Erie held a 3-1 lead.

The Slippery Rock bats would be kept in check for the next two innings and SRU quickly found itself down to its final four outs of the game. With two outs in the sixth and Geibel on second base, Atkinson came through with a clutch single to center field that allowed Geibel to score and bring Slippery Rock to within one run (3-2). Katie Saluga kept The Rock alive with a single to left field that scored Atkinson and tied the game at 3-3.

Ianno and Lake Erie pitcher Sara Shields (1-1) proceeded to take over the game, combining to allow just one hit over the next three innings. But The Rock's chances of a comeback victory looked bleak after Lake Erie scored two runs in the top of 10th inning to take a 5-3 lead heading into SRU's half of the 10th.

However Amanda Hedgepeth walked to start the inning and with Emily Lobdell already placed on second base due to the international tie breaker rule, Slippery Rock all of a sudden looked poised to complete the comeback.

A sacrifice bunt by Croes combined with a throwing error by Lake Erie scored Lobdell and Hedgeworth and tied the game at 5-5 with Croes at second base and just one out. A Gina Brenzo bunt moved Croes to third base with two outs. The stage was set for Geibel, an All-PSAC performer a season ago, to deliver. The sophomore did just that in the form of a single to right field that scored Croes and won the game for SRU.

The walk-off single was just a continuation of an already strong day for Geibel, who went 2-for-3 with one run scored and two RBIs in Slippery Rock's 5-3 loss to Saginaw Valley State (6-2) earlier in the day. Hedgepeth joined Geibel as the only Rock player with a multi-hit game vs. SVSU, batting 2-for-3 and scoring a run. Jordan Zeunges also tallied a hit and one RBI on the day.

Shauna Walker (1-2) took the loss for Slippery Rock after pitching all six innings, giving up five runs on six hits while striking out six Cardinals. Walker threw five strong innings, but came unraveled in the third when she gave up four hits and four runs.

The Rock struck first in the top of the third inning when, with two outs, Kirsten Brant reached first base off of an error. Geibel then proceeded to drive Brant in with a single that made it past the second baseman to give The Rock a 1-0 lead.

The lead would be short lived. With one out and runners on first and second, Saginaw Valley hit three consecutive doubles off Walker to grab a 4-1 lead. SVSU touched Walker for one more run in the sixth inning as The Rock entered the seventh frame down 5-1. 

Slippery Rock battled back despite the four-run margin. Hedgepeth started the seventh inning with a single and Geibel would later belt a one-out double that scored Hedgepeth to trim the lead to 5-2.

Zeunges then stepped up to the plate and worked the count to a favorable 3-1 edge before slapping a single up the middle to score Geibel and bring the tying run to the plate with SRU down 5-3. But that would be as close as The Rock would get, as SVSU pitcher Jade Fulton managed to retire Atkinson and Breanna Tongel to hold onto the Cardinal win.

Slippery Rock returns to action at the Rebel Spring Games Thursday with games against Mount Olive and Wheeling Jesuit.