In a chaotic week of postponements and tough opponents, Shippensburg University’s softball team split a doubleheader against Shepherd before winning a pair of games against No. 9 East Stroudsburg on Senior Day. SU now sits at 22-14 on the season, 11-9 in conference play. 

The week began with two games on Wednesday at Shepherd, rescheduled from Tuesday due to weather. Shepherd took a 1-0 victory in the first game, holding the Raiders to just two hits in the contest. They scored on an RBI single in the fifth inning to bring home the lone run of the game.

Senior Alicia Ball took a hard-luck loss after six innings of one-run ball. She walked five batters and allowed three hits while striking out five, falling to 8-7 on the year. Junior Caitlyn Martell had both hits for the Raiders.

SU rebounded in the nightcap, taking a 2-1 victory in another pitchers’ duel. Junior Brie Wilmot hit a two-run home fun in the fifth inning to give the Raiders a 2-0 lead, and they held on from there.

Freshman Dani Hayward threw a complete game victory, striking out seven while allowing one run on three hits and a walk. 

She also went 2-3 at the plate, joining Martell as the only Raiders with multiple hits.

After more rainouts on Friday and Saturday, the team began Sunday’s action by honoring their senior class. Ball, Aliyah Briddell, Katelyn Minney and Ally Weaver were all honored pregame for their success and time with the team. 

Head coach Allyson Van Scyoc praised the seniors postgame, saying “They’re really good leaders, they make the right decisions … and they’ve played a big role in just continuing to build the foundation of Ship softball.”

Hayward was the star of game one, pitching a shutout and putting the exclamation point on a 9-0 victory for SU. She hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, putting SU far enough ahead to win via mercy rule. It was her first collegiate home run. 

 “Dani is a baller. She’s going to fight, and she’s going to compete and she’s going to give her heart every time” Van Scyoc said.

Wilmot had 4 RBIs in the game, including a two-run home run in the first inning. She discussed the impact of the victories, commenting, “It’s definitely going to energize us, motivate us to keep pushing, keep fighting … team morale is sky high.”

Game two was a gritty 5-3 win for Shippensburg, with Wilmot contributing at the plate once more. She hit a grand slam in the third inning to give the Raiders a 4-2 lead, with sophomore Sarah Sabocsik adding an RBI single in the fifth.

Ball picked up a victory, going the full seven innings. She allowed three runs on seven hits and five walks. Ball saved her best work for the end, getting her tenth strikeout to end the game with the tying run on first.

Ball shouted out her teammates after the win, particularly her fellow seniors, saying, “They’re always there for me. They pick me up when I’m down and always have a positive mindset … that means the world to me.”

Next week is another busy one for SU softball, with three conference doubleheaders on tap. They will visit Millersville on Tuesday at 1 p.m. before returning to Robb Field to face Bloomsburg at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. 

They end the week with a twin-bill at West Chester at 1 p.m. Saturday, in a crucial pair of games for conference tournament seeding, with the two teams currently in the final two playoff spots.

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