Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

WHEELING, W. Va. – The Slippery Rock University softball team split its doubleheader at West Liberty Wednesday, losing game one 5-3 before regrouping to win game two 6-1. After producing just three hits in the day's opener the SRU bats came alive to record nine hits in the nightcap.

Slippery Rock leaves West Liberty with an overall record of 17-5.

Seniors Shardea Croes and Lindsey Grace helped The Rock salvage the day in game two. Croes went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored in Slippery Rock's 6-1 triumph while Grace (1-0), who was making her second start of the season, picked up her first win after scattering three hits over five innings while striking out three batters and giving up no runs.

Junior Natalie Atkinson (2-for-4), sophomore Jenna Geibel (2-for-4), freshman Breanna Tongel (2-for-2) and Croes all registered two-hit games for The Rock while junior Kirsten Brant tallied two RBIs. Atkinson and Tongel also scored two runs.

Croes broke up a 0-0 contest in the top of the third inning when she hit the seventh triple of her career to score Tongel and Atkinson. A single by Geibel plated Croes later in the inning to put The Rock up 3-0.

The Rock's offensive onslaught continued into the fourth inning with three more runs, giving SRU a commanding 6-0 lead. All of Slippery Rock's scoring in the inning was done with two outs. As was the case in the third inning, Tongel and Atkinson reached base in front of Croes, who came through with a clutch single that scored Tongel. Atkinson and Croes scored SRU's final two runs of the inning off of a West Liberty (8-25) fielding error.

The 6-0 lead was more than enough for the duo of Grace and sophomore Amy Erickson. After tossing five shutout innings, Grace, who worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth inning, handed the ball over to Erickson. In her third appearance of the season, Erickson held the Hilltoppers to just one hit and one unearned run in the final two innings to help SRU to the 6-1 win.

The offense that was present in game two was missing to start the day as Slippery Rock managed just three hits in its game one loss. The Green and White did make the most of their opportunities and nearly pulled off a comeback victory before ultimately falling 5-3. Geibel (1-for-2), sophomore Katie Saluga (1-for-3) and Atkinson (1-for-3) accounted for The Rock's hits.

Junior pitcher Shaylee Ianno (10-2) suffered her second consecutive loss despite surrendering just three hits and striking out seven batters. Only two of West Liberty's five runs scored against Ianno were earned runs.

Ianno and West Liberty pitcher Sara Emerich (4-12) controlled the game early on as neither pitcher gave up a run or a hit in the first three and half innings.

However, the Hilltoppers broke up the pitching duel in the bottom of the fourth inning by scoring three runs. Two WLU batters reached base on errors to begin the inning and eventually scored to give West Liberty a 2-0 lead. The Hilltoppers' third run came off of a passed ball with the bases loaded and one out. Ianno retired two consecutive batters to get out of the inning before more damage could be done.

SRU promptly responded in the top of the fifth inning with two runs of its own. With one out, Atkinson got in scoring position by doubling. Tongel then put the ball in play and West Liberty proceeded to make two fielding errors which allowed Atkinson to score and Tongel to advance to third base. Freshman Kristin Kaminski was called upon to pinch hit and came through with a sacrifice fly that scored Tongel to cut West Liberty's lead to 3-2.

The Rock tied the game in the sixth inning thanks to a Saluga single that drove in Geibel. Saluga advanced all the way to third base on the play via a fielding error, but would be stranded as Emerich forced Brittany Jones into a groundout during the next at-bat to end the inning.

West Liberty answered Slippery Rock's three run output with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 5-3 lead. SRU could not answer back in the seventh, giving West Liberty the victory.

Slippery Rock will jump back into Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division play with a doubleheader at Gannon 3 p.m. Friday. SRU is 4-2 in PSAC-West competition and is in second place in the division. Gannon (13-11) is in fourth place in the division with a PSAC-West mark of 2-4. Earlier this season The Rock swept Gannon in a doubleheader in Slippery Rock.