Shippensburg University’s softball team went 3-3 in a busy week of action.
The Raiders split a doubleheader with Mansfield, won two games over Lock Haven and dropped a pair of home games to No. 15 Kutztown. They now sit at 19-13 on the year and 8-8 in conference play.
The week began with a 6-1 win at Mansfield. The Raiders scored on a pair of groundouts in the fourth inning before sophomore Sarah Sabocsik added an RBI single in the fifth. They added three more runs in the seventh, with junior Rilee Ehrlacher and senior Aryanna Briddell each getting their second RBI of the day.
Senior Alicia Ball earned a complete game victory, allowing one run on four hits and three walks. She had six strikeouts for her seventh victory of the season.
SU dropped a back-and-forth Game 2 to the Mountaineers, going ahead 3-0 in the second with the help of a two-run single from freshman Gianna Cimino. Mansfield went ahead 4-3 in the third, but Shippensburg retook a 6-4 lead in the fifth with RBI hits from sophomore Reagan Bauman and junior Caitlyn Martell. Mansfield pulled back ahead with a five-run sixth, winning 10-6.
Freshman Dani Hayward went 3.1 innings, allowing five runs for a no-decision. Sophomore Madalyn Dyer took the loss after 2.2 innings of relief.
Shippensburg’s week of games continued Friday at Lock Haven. Game 1 was scoreless through seven innings, but junior Lindsey Haser hit a leadoff home run in the eighth inning to put the Raiders ahead. Ehrlacher added a two-run single later in the frame, giving SU a 3-0 victory.
Ball went the distance for a shutout victory in the circle. She held Lock Haven scoreless while striking out nine, only allowing five hits and a walk.
The second game saw Shippensburg earn a mercy-rule win, defeating LHU 10-2 in five innings. Hayward was the star of this game, pitching five innings of two-run ball for the win. She also helped her own cause at the plate, going 2-for-3 in her first collegiate at bats, including a three-run double in the third.
Martell and Bauman each had strong performances in the game, earning three and two RBIs, respectively. The Raiders tallied 12 hits in total, with eight different players earning at least one.
Caitlyn Martell attempts to make an out against Kutztown.
The team returned home for a Saturday twin-bill vs No. 15 Kutztown. The Bears took Game 1 by a 6-4 result. The Raiders cut the deficit to 4-3 in the fifth thanks to a two-run double from Sabocsik and an RBI single from sophomore Brie Wilmot. They could not finish the comeback.
Ball pitched her third complete game of the week, allowing six runs on nine hits while striking out eight. She falls to 8-6 on the year.
Game 2 saw Kutztown pull away late for a 12-8 triumph. The Bears used a six-run seventh inning to take a 12-5 lead. Martell made things interesting with a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, giving her two homers and six RBIs on the day, but KU held on.
Hayward took the loss after allowing six earned runs in 4.1 innings, giving up a pair of three-run home runs. Sabocsik had a pair of RBIs in the game, with sophomore Emily Lafferty also having two hits and scoring three runs.
Another six-game week is on tap for SU softball, beginning with a road doubleheader at Shepherd on Tuesday. The Raiders return home to face East Stroudsburg at Robb Field on Friday, with the doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The week ends with a Senior Day doubleheader at home against Bloomsburg at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The Raiders celebrate in the game against Kutztown.
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