Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Video Interview
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team continued its winning ways Saturday with a record-breaking doubleheader sweep of Edinboro. The Rock defeated the Fighting Scots 12-2 and 6-3 to extend their winning streak to a school-record 11 games.
Through 16 games, Slippery Rock has a record of 14-2 overall and a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division mark of 4-0. Slippery Rock once again flexed its muscle Saturday, hitting six home runs in the two games. In the past six games, SRU has smacked 11 home runs including three grand slams.
Leading Slippery Rock to the sweep was sophomore Katie Saluga, junior Natalie Atkinson and freshman Breanna Tongel. Saluga, who recorded hits in both games to push her hitting streak to 13 games, went 3-for-4 on the day, with one home run, four runs scored and two RBIs. She has now hit home runs in two of four games.
After going without a home run in the first 152 at-bats of her Slippery Rock career, Atkinson has now recorded two homers in her last eight plate appearances as the junior hit another round-tripper Saturday as part of her 3-for-5, three run, three-RBI day at the plate.
Tongel was responsible for five RBIs and a grand slam in SRU's 12-2 win in the first game of the day.
Junior Shaylee Ianno (9-0) registered a win in both games vs. Edinboro (9-8, 0-2 PSAC-West). Ianno started game one and struck out eight in a complete-game one-hit performance. She then came on in relief of senior Shauna Walker in game two to throw three quality innings, striking out six of the 11 batters she faced to earn the victory.
Slippery Rock made the most of its opportunities in its 12-2 win in game one as just one of its runs scored was an earned run. The Rock got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning when an Edinboro error loaded the bases for Tongel who then brought one run in off of a well-executed sacrifice bunt. Sophomore Amanda Hedgepeth then made it a 4-0 game by way of a three-run home run before EU could get out of the inning.
Saluga gave The Rock a 5-0 lead with a leadoff home run to begin the bottom of the fifth inning. Edinboro answered with two unearned runs in the sixth inning to cut SRU's lead to 5-2, but as has been the case for much of the season, The Rock had another big inning in them to end any thoughts of a comeback win.
Hedgepeth advanced to first on an error to begin the bottom of the sixth and was then moved over to second thanks to a bunt-single by senior Shardea Croes. Later in the inning, sophomore Jenna Geibel walked to load the bases with just one out. Edinboro pitcher Kari Falk then proceeded to walk three consecutive Rock batters that forced in three more SRU runs to push the Green and White's lead to 8-2 with the bases still loaded. Tongel then stepped up and belted a walk-off grand slam that gave Slippery Rock the 12-2 mercy-rule win.
Slippery Rock's second win of the day would be much closer. In fact, SRU found itself trailing 3-2 late in the game before a four-run fifth inning rally helped keep The Rock's winning streak alive. Eight of the nine runs scored between the two teams in game two came off of home runs.
Edinboro struck first when Jamie VanDamia hit a solo home run off of Walker, who pitched four innings and gave up three runs while striking out four batters, in the second inning. However, SRU answered back with Atkinson's long ball in the bottom of the frame that also scored Saluga, who had reached base earlier in the inning. After two innings, SRU held a 2-1 advantage.
The Fighting Scots refused to concede the game, and plated two more runs in the top of the fifth to retake the lead at 3-2. But once again Slippery Rock was able to answer.
Croes started the rally by reaching base after getting hit by a pitch with one out in the inning. Kirsten Brant then came through with a clutch home run to right center that put SRU up for good at 4-3. Still in the fifth inning and with two outs and Jordan Zeunges on base, coach Vashion Johnson called on junior Brittany Jones, who to that point had just one at-bat since SRU returned from its Florida trip, to pinch hit for Saluga. Jones rewarded the coach's confidence by hitting a home run that gave The Rock two insurance runs and a 6-3 edge.
The three-run lead was more than enough for Ianno, as the two-time PSAC-West Pitcher of the Week quickly struck out five Edinboro batters in the final two innings to ensure the victory.
Slippery Rock will now take its winning streak on the road for doubleheaders at Salem International on Monday and at California Pa. on Wednesday. SRU will be back home 1 p.m. April 2 vs. Mercyhurst.