MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Slippery Rock University softball team captured two wins during its first day of the 2018 season with victories over West Virginia State University and Saint Anselm College.
 
After a comeback win over W.Va. State Friday morning, SRU completed another comeback victory over Saint Anselm later that afternoon. Kailey Myers tallied four hits and two RBI on the day, while Brooke Dawson and Camie Shumaker registered wins in the circle.
 
Slippery Rock's opening day wins give the team a 2-0 record to start a season for the first time since 2010.
  
GAME ONE: Slippery Rock 4 – West Virginia State 3
After W.Va. State took an early 2-0 lead, The Rock scored a run in the third and three in the fourth inning to take the advantage. The Yellow Jackets tallied one run in the seventh, but SRU was able to hold on for the 4-3 win.
 
Following an error to open the bottom of the first inning, WVSU's Zoey Carte roped a double to score Kayleigh Thompson. Two batters later, Brittany Allison singled to score Thompson to make it a 2-0 lead.
 
In the top of the third, Emily Nagle tripled and later scored on a balk to record Slippery Rock's first run of the season.
 
Lauren Hawley led off the fourth inning with a four-pitch walk. After Julia Cepis entered for Hawley as a pinch runner, McKenzie Garland reached on an error. She would later score on another error along with Cepis giving The Rock a lead, 3-2. After Allie Fischer reached on a throwing error, Myers drove her in with an RBI single to give SRU a 4-2 advantage.
 
The Yellow Jackets tallied one unearned run in the bottom of the seventh to make it a 4-3 game, but Dawson pitched her way out of a jam to earn the victory.
 
Dawson (1-0) hurled a complete game allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits and also punched out six.
 
Nagle and Myers tallied two hits apiece in the win.
 
Slippery Rock is now 7-4 in season-opening games dating back to 2008.
 
GAME TWO: Slippery Rock 5 – Saint Anselm 4
Saint Anselm broke through first with three runs in the second inning. The Hawks tallied another in the fourth, but Slippery Rock exploded for a five-run sixth inning and held on for a 5-4 win.
 
After a one-out walk to Shannon Colson with a 3-2 count, she would later steal second and advance to third on a passed ball. Colson later scored on a sacrifice fly. The Hawks then recorded back-to-back singles and followed that up with an RBI triple by Amanda Bickford. Saint Anselm took the lead 3-0 in the second inning.
 
The Hawks tacked on another run from an RBI single by Jordan O'Connor in the fourth inning to take a 4-0 lead.
 
Slippery Rock did not get on the scoreboard until the sixth inning when Hawley scored Becca Roesch on an RBI double. Myers later roped a single that scored pinch runner Caitlyn MacKelvey.
 
After an Alexa Guglielmino single that advanced Myers to second, Lydia Baird put one in play that was mishandled by the second baseman. On the error, Myers scored to make it a 4-3 contest. Nagle then drove in Guglielmino to tie the game and Megan Brown finished off the scoring attack with an RBI single to give Rock a 5-4 advantage. 

 
Shumaker pitched a 1-2-3 top half of the seventh to give SRU the 5-4 win.
 
Paige Flore started the game for Slippery Rock and went 3.1 innings. Shumaker (1-0) recorded her first career win after surrendering no runs on one hit and punching out three over 3.2 innings.
 
The Rock will play Wilmington University at 10 a.m. tomorrow, and follow that game up with a 2 p.m. contest against Felician College. Full statistics and recaps will be posted when that information becomes available.
 
 


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