Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
CLARION, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team began its final week of the regular season with a pair of wins, 2-0 and 11-2, Tuesday over hosting Clarion University.
The 11 runs and 18 hits SRU compiled in game two were the most in either category by The Rock this season.
The victories improve Slippery Rock's overall record to 15-16 on the season while Clarion fell to 8-28 on the year.
Junior third baseman
Jenna Geibel and junior catcher
Katie Saluga were two of the many Rock players to have terrific days at the plate.
Geibel went a combined 5-for-7 with one run scored, three RBI and one home run. Saluga matched Geibel's production, going 5-for-8, with three runs scored, three RBI, three doubles and one stolen base. Geibel and Saluga lead Slippery Rock this season with 10 and nine multi-hit games, respectively.
Geibel, who is batting .411 on the season, has belted four home runs in her last five games to give her 10 for the season. She is just the third player in Rock history to have hit at least 10 home runs in a season and only the second to do it twice.
Slippery Rock kicked off the day by posting two runs in the top of the first inning of game one when Saluga and senior outfielder
Natalie Atkinson led off with consecutive walks followed by a single from Geibel that drove in Saluga. Atkinson also scored on the play thanks to a Clarion throwing error.
SRU was able to save their offensive magic for game two as the 2-0 lead was all Rock pitchers
Emily Lobdell (1-0) and
Ashley Knight needed to secure the victory. Lobdell, who has played in the outfield all season for The Rock before Tuesday's game, made her first pitching appearance since 2011. She threw four solid innings, scattering five hits and striking out two batters on the way to her first career victory. Knight picked up the first save of her career after giving up just two hits and striking out three batters in three shutout innings. Clarion left four runners in scoring position throughout the game.
The runs came early and often for The Rock in game two's 11-2 victory. SRU posted two runs in the first inning, one in the third inning, three in the fourth inning, one in the fifth inning and four in the seventh inning.
The first five batters in Slippery Rock's lineup crushed the ball in game two, finishing a combined 14-for-23 with 10 RBI. Saluga and freshman infielder
Taylor Welch, who was making just the third start of her career, both had three RBI. Welch went 2-for-4 with a double and a triple while two of Saluga's three hits went for doubles.
Geibel added two more RBI and one home run followed by one-RBI games from Atkinson and senior pitcher
Shaylee Ianno. Also swinging a hot bat was sophomore first baseman
Breanna Tongel, who went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a walk. Freshman outfielder
Alaynna Beers also drove in one run.
In addition to hitting two doubles from the plate, Ianno improved her pitching record to 9-7 on the season by striking out eight Clarion batters and giving up just four hits. Both of Clarion's runs came in the second inning.
Slippery Rock will hit the road for the last time this season when it travels to Gannon for a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader on Thursday.
