The Shippensburg University softball team traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, last weekend for the Snowbird Softball Freeze Out, going 2–4 over three days.
The Raiders played West Virginia State University, Concord University, Wilmington University, Slippery Rock University, Glenville State College and Merrimack College.
The team picked up both of its wins on Friday against West Virginia State (7–5) and Concord (8–1). Unfortunately, it went downhill from there with the Raiders losing their next four games on Saturday and Sunday.
Among the top performers Friday were juniors Macy Luck and Chloe Collins. Luck went 3-of-7 with four RBIs over two games. Collins was also impressive, going 2-of-8 with three RBIs in two games.
Sophomore Nicole Smith picked up the win in both games, pitching very efficiently, improving her record to 3–0 for the season. She threw five strikeouts and only gave up five hits in the two wins. She picked up a complete game victory against Concord.
The Raiders blew the game against West Virginia State wide open after scoring six runs in the second inning. Luck tripled to bring in two runners in the inning to extend their lead early on.
West Virginia State mounted a comeback, scoring three runs in the seventh to make it a two-run game with only one out and a runner on base, but SU was able to close the game for the win.
It was another fast start for the Raiders against Concord, scoring two runs in the first and then four in the second. Smith was dominant on the mound — Concord only had two hits against her all day.
The games were more difficult the next couple days with SU dropping a couple closely contested games and getting shut out twice.
The game against Wilmington was over in five innings when the score reached 9–0 in favor of Wilmington. Offense was at a premium all day for the Raiders, as they were only able to get four hits in the game.
Shippensburg also struggled against Slippery Rock University. SU managed to score a few runs against a tough SRU team, but the team was unable to pull out a win.
Sunday was also a bad day for the Raiders, getting shut out by Glenville State and dropping a close game against Merrimack.
SU’s record is now 6–5 after the weekend. The team will be in North Carolina next, starting Mar. 3.
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