Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Junior Shaylee Ianno threw a seven-hit shutout to lead the Slippery Rock University softball team to a 4-0 win against Mercyhurst Sunday in the second game of a crucial Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division doubleheader at the SRU Softball Complex. The Rock lost game one to the Lakers by a score of 8-5.

Slippery Rock is now 19-9 overall this season and 6-6 in the PSAC-West. Mercyhurst is 21-17 overall and 6-6 in the PSAC-West. Slippery Rock has four PSAC-West games left this season, including a doubleheader at Mercyhurst to end the year.

Ianno (12-3) picked up her 12th win of the season thanks to a six strikeout, seven hit performance in game two's 4-0 Rock victory. With six games left in the regular season, Ianno has already posted career-highs in wins, innings pitched (80.2), strikeouts (89), complete games (six) and shutouts (three). Her 1.30 ERA and opponent batting average of .172 would also be career-bests if the season ended today.

Sophomore Jenna Geibel and freshman Breanna Tongel both registered two-RBI games for The Rock. For the game, Geibel was 2-for-4 with one double and Tongel was 1-for-4 with a double. The top half of SRU's lineup also produced in game two as junior Kirsten Brant went 3-for-3 with a run scored and one stolen base while senior Jordan Zeunges went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and two runs scored. Senior leadoff hitter Shardea Croes also scored a run.

With the scored tied at 0-0 in the third inning Zeunges and Brant both reached base with hits, which led to a one-out double to left center by Tongel that cleared the bases and put Slippery Rock up 2-0. The Rock struck again in the fourth inning when Geibel belted a double that drove in Zeunges and Croes to give SRU a 4-0 lead.

The four runs were more than enough for Ianno, who did not allow a Mercyhurst player past second base the entire game. Ianno closed out the 4-0 win by stranding Laker runners on first and second base.

Slippery Rock scored all of its runs off of home runs in its 8-5 loss to Mercyhurst in game one as Tongel, Brant and freshman Emily Lobdell all recorded home runs. Tongel's shot was her fifth of the season and second of the weekend. Lobdell's home run came in just the second at-bat of her collegiate career. Brant ended the opening contest 2-for-3 with two RBIs and one run scored. Croes used her speed to register two infield singles and finished the game 3-for-4 with one run scored.

After trading two-run innings to begin the game, Slippery Rock broke the 2-2 tie in the fourth inning with home runs from Tongel and Lobdell. Tongel's homer was a solo blast while Lobdell's came with Geibel on base and put the Green and White up 5-2.

Rock senior pitcher Shauna Walker seemed poised to help Slippery Rock get a win before a tough seventh inning that saw the Lakers rally to score six runs and grab an 8-5 lead off of seven hits. Walker, who fell to 6-5 on the season with the loss, had allowed just six hits and the two early runs before the final inning. Senior Lindsey Grace came on in relief of Walker, but also had a rough outing, giving up three hits and one run before getting out of the inning.

Zeunges doubled to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning for Slippery Rock, but wouldn't get any closer to home as Mercyhurst reliever Megan Hopton got SRU to hit three consecutive groundouts to preserve the 8-5 Laker win.

Slippery Rock is off until 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, when it will take on PSAC-West leader California (Pa.) at the SRU Softball Complex.