The Shippensburg University softball team began divisional play this week with a series against Bloomsburg University and East Stroudsburg University.

SU opened its Eastern Division schedule on Wednesday by splitting a doubleheader with Bloomsburg at home.

Through the first five innings of Game 1 only one run came across home plate but both offenses exploded in the final two frames.

Down 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth, freshman Taylor Myers cut the BU lead to one with an RBI-single but the Raiders failed to get more runs in the inning.

The Huskies, however, set home plate on fire with five runs in the top of the seventh frame, stretching their lead to six runs.

SU was not prepared to go away though in the final frame as junior Courtney Coy brought two runs home with a single and sophomore Hannah Marsteller followed up with a two-run homer to cut the lead to 7-5. Shippensburg got the tying run to home plate but Bloomsburg closed the door and took Game 1.

Game 2 turned into a pitchers’ duel as Marsteller was the only player from either side to record multiple hits.

Freshman Maelynn Leber threw a complete game on just 77 pitches allowing six hits and no walks. Leber gave up just one unearned run in the game.

Freshman Taylor Radziewicz and sophomore Morgan DeFeo scored the two Shippensburg runs in the third and fourth innings to give Shippensburg a 2-1 win.

Friday and Saturday saw the Raiders split home and home doubleheaders with ESU. 

ESU swept its series at home by scores of 5-1 and 7-2 on Friday. SU totaled 15 hits in both games but left 12 runners stranded on base. 

Marsteller doubled in both games, which gave her an extra base hit in each of her first six games to start the season. 

The Raiders returned the favor back at Robb Field by sweeping ESU in their home doubleheader the next day. In Game 1, SU found itself down 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning. Leber would not let the Raiders be down long, however, as she stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and delivered a single to left field plating the eventual game winning run. 

Game 2 saw the Raiders jump out to a 6-0 lead in the first two innings but the Warriors clawed back to take a 7-6 lead in the fourth.

SU responded immediately after with a Marsteller grand slam in the fifth inning to make the eventual final score 10-7. 

The Raiders are 2-2 in the Eastern Division this season. The team was slated to visit Bloomsburg Tuesday, but the doubleheader has since been postponed to March 23 due to cold temperatures and incoming weather, according to a Bloomsburg University press release. SU returns to Robb Field Friday versus Shepherd University for its next home-and-home series. 

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