CLERMONT, Fla – The Slippery Rock University softball team split contests against Millersville University and Urbana University Wednesday afternoon at the National Training Center Softball Tournament in Clermont, Florida. SRU began the day with an 11-2 win over Millersville, and followed that up with a 6-4 loss against Urbana.
Leah Vith was 4-for-7 on the day with a home run, a double and six RBI.
Adeline Nicholson also had a solid day in the batter's box going 4-for-5 with a home run, a double and three RBI.
Maggie Moore chipped in as well going 3-for-8 with a pair of RBI.
Slippery Rock's 11 runs and 12 hits against Millersville were their highest single-game totals of the season.
Camie Shumaker hurled all five innings for SRU in the first game notching her fourth win of the season.
SRU's split puts its record at 4-9 on the year. The Rock is now 3-5 in the Spring Games thus far with four games left.
Game One: Slippery Rock 11 – Millersville 2 (5 innings)
The Rock received multi-hit games from
Alexa Guglielmino,
Aubrey Allen, Moore, Vith and Nicholson en route to the victory. SRU scored in all five frames coasting its way to victory.
In the first inning, Moore and
Kailey Myers were on base for Vith. She then smoked a two-RBI double to center giving SRU a lead, 2-0.
Slippery Rock put another crooked number on the board in the second with a five-run frame. Guglielmino drew a walk and MU's catcher attempted to pick-off Nicholson advancing, but it sailed into left field allowing Nicholson to score and
Caitlyn MacKelvey to advance to second. The runners would eventually move into scoring position for Moore who ripped a single to left scoring both Guglielmino and MacKelvey. With two more runners on later in the inning, it was Vith again knocking in two more runs with a two-RBI single putting Slippery Rock ahead, 7-0.
SRU added another in the third on an RBI groundout from MacKelvey. Millersville would then put two on the board in the bottom of the inning cutting the deficit to six.
Slippery Rock answered right back with two of its own the following inning. With Moore on second, Vith walloped her first home run of the season over the center field fence, padding the score, 10-2.
After adding a run in the top of the fifth, Shumaker pitched a scoreless bottom of the inning giving Slippery Rock the win, 11-2
Shumaker (W, 4-4) earned the win going 5.0 IP surrendering two runs on five hits and two walks, while punching out two.
Millersville's Emma Bevard (L, 3-4) took the loss allowing four runs on four hits in just 1.1 IP.
Game Two: Slippery Rock 4 – Urbana 6
For game two, The Rock could not climb out of a 6-0 hole. SRU did score runs in the fourth and sixth, but they were not enough and fell to Urbana, 6-4.
Urbana got scoring started in the first inning with three runs. The Blue Knights' Madison Bryant tallied an RBI ground out for the first score. With two runners on, Mackenzie Frantz double to right adding to the UU lead, 3-0.
In the third, Mykee Holtz hit a sac fly to get scoring started. With a runner on third, Mikayla Kesel singled to left and on a throw to the plate, Vith got called for obstruction allowing the run to score. Later in the inning, Erin Gardner singled up the middle scoring Frantz giving Urbana a 6-0 advantage.
SRU aimed to come back in the fourth inning. With Myers and
Megan Brown on,
Adeline Nicholson roped a double to center scoring Brown.
Nicholson was not done as in the top of the sixth, with Vith on, she clubbed her first home run of the season over the center field fence. Later, with Allen on second, Shumaker hit a ball between right field and second base and Britney Bonno made the grab, but collided with Kesel allowing Allen to score on the sacrifice fly.
SRU was able to get the tying run to the plate with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Urbana's Kayleigh Pate retired the last two batters, and the Blue Knights' held on for the win, 6-4.
Bryant (W, 1-3) took the win going 6.0 IP allowing four runs on six hits and four walks while striking out two.
Pate (S, 1) registered the save going 1.0 IP and surrendering one hit.
Andria Copelli (L, 0-5) took the loss going 2.0 IP allowing five runs on five hits.
Chloe Sharman also saw some action in the circle going 5.0 IP surrendering one run (unearned) on five hits and three walks. She also struck out one batter.
UP NEXT
On Thursday, Slippery Rock will play No. 25 Winona State for game one and then battle West Chester in game two. First pitch is set for 9 a.m.
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