New/Sortable Box Score 1 |
New/Sortable Box Score 2
SRU-OVU Traditional Box Score |
SRU-BSC Traditional Box Score
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Slippery Rock University softball team kicked off the 2013 season in emphatic fashion Friday afternoon when
Emily Lobdell tossed a six-inning no hitter to lead The Rock to a 9-0 win over Bluefield State College in the second game of the Shaw University Softball Challenge.
Slippery Rock split its pair of games on the opening day of the three-day tournament, falling 4-3 in extra innings in the opener against Ohio Valley.
The Rock will have a crack at redemption tomorrow when they face Ohio Valley again. SRU will also face West Virginia State Saturday and will close the tournament Sunday against Shepherd.
Lobdell struck out eight batters and walked just three in her season debut and The Rock's bats came alive to plate nine runs and end the game an inning early due to the mercy rule.
Katie Kaiser belted a two-run home run and finished the game with three hits, three runs scored and three RBI.
Katie Saluga also went deep for her first home run of the year and finished with two RBIs.
Breanna Tongel added two RBIs and
Megan Maloney was perfect at the plate with two hits, two stolen bases and two runs scored to lead the offensive attack.
Amanda Cokely took the loss for Bluefield State, which saw its season record drop to 1-6 overall. She threw five innings, allowed seven hits and six runs while striking out just one batter.
Slippery Rock jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning after Bluefield errors allowed two unearned runs. The Rock added to the lead with four runs in the second. Saluga opened the scoring with her blast to left center field. Maloney scored next off a single from Kaiser and Tongel singled through the right side to plate
Jenna Geibel and Kaiser.
Saluga picked up her second RBI in the sixth inning when
Regan Cottrill scored on a sacrifice fly and the game ended when Kaiser connected on her two run shot to put The Rock over the eight run mercy limit.
Friday's opener against Ohio Valley was a much more competitive game and served as the first official game of the year for both teams.
The game was tied at 3-3 after seven innings and went to the international tiebreaker in the eighth inning, where teams start with a runner on second base. The Rock could not score in the top half of the inning and Ohio Valley plated the game-winning run on a sacrifice bunt by Brittany Shepley that scored Kelly Ferneding.
Ashley Knight took the loss in the circle for Slippery Rock after throwing the complete game and allowing seven hits and four runs (three earned) while striking out eight batters.
CeCe Bailey earned the win in relief for Ohio Valley. She threw five innings, allowed no runs and just one hit while striking out three. Madison Wallace pitched the first three innings and allowed all three runs.
Tongel recorded the only multi-RBI game for SRU with one hit and two RBI.
Lindsey Kelenske was credited with the other RBI and Saluga and
Kristin Kaminski each had two hits and one run scored to top the offense.
Shepley was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with the game-winning RBI and two runs scored and Donna O'Bryant had two hits and three RBI to lead Ohio Valley.
The Rock opened the game with two runs in the first inning when Tongel doubled up the middle to plate Geibel and Saluga. They would add to the lead in the third inning when Kelenske singled up the middle to score Kaminski and make it 3-0 in favor of Slippery Rock.
Ohio Valley battled back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and tied the game in the bottom of the sixth before plating the winner in the bottom of the eighth.
Slippery Rock will open day two of the tournament at 2 p.m. Saturday with the rematch against Ohio Valley and will face West Virginia State at 4 p.m.
