SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team split a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader against Mercyhurst University Wednesday afternoon at the SRU Softball Complex. After dropping game one, 2-1, The Rock bounced back for a 4-2 victory in game two.
Both games turned out to be tight contests as neither team could get much going against solid pitching.
Camie Shumaker hurled a solid first game, but her counterpart, Tori Pierucci, earned the complete-game victory limiting SRU to just three hits.
The Rock's game two starter,
Chloe Sharman, pitched stellar as well getting her fourth win of the 2019 campaign.
With the split, SRU is now 11-14 on the season and 3-1 in PSAC West games while Mercyhurst is 6-19 overall and 3-2 in divisional games.
Game One: Slippery Rock 1 – Mercyhurst 2
Both Shumaker and Pierucci were on their game in the first contest, but Mercyhurst got a few timely hits in the second and fifth innings getting the win.
SRU almost struck first in the bottom of the first inning. After a scorching fly out to right field from
Alexa Guglielmino,
Megan Brown singled. She advanced to third on an
Adeline Nicholson ground out and the next batter,
Maggie Moore, ripped one to center field, but the play was made to end the threat.
The Lakers plated a run in the following frame to take a 1-0 lead. Following a one-out walk, Sarah Koscho bunted the runner over. Jenna Balducci then hit a seeing-eye single up the middle to score the run.
Both pitchers continued their dominance until the fifth inning. In the top frame, Natalie Graff hit a lead-off single. Paige Crittela bunted her over to second and she was driven in by Ellie Dougher to give Hurst a 2-0 advantage.
The Rock answered back with one in the bottom of the fifth on a wild pitch, but could not push anything else across and the Lakers held on for the game one win, 2-1.
Pierucci (W, 4-8) earned the win allowing just one unearned run on three hits and one walk, while striking out two in the complete-game performance.
Shumaker (L, 7-7) took the loss hurling the complete game allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while punching out six.
Game Two: Slippery Rock 4 – Mercyhurst 2
The second contest proved to be more of the same until the sixth inning when SRU added a few insurance runs.
With Sharman and Pierucci dealing, SRU and Hurst were scoreless until the bottom of the fourth.
Kaitlyn Bowman pinch-ran for
Leah Vith after she got on base and eventually scored on a wild pitch putting SRU ahead, 1-0.
In the bottom of the sixth, Slippery Rock added a few important insurance runs. Brown led the inning off with a single and then stole second. Nicholson bunted her over to third and Moore followed with an RBI single. After an out and a
Becca Roesch walk,
Kailey Myers then plated two more runs with a double to left center giving The Rock the lead, 4-0.
The Lakers looked to spark a comeback in the top of the seventh. Graff led off with a double and with one out, Chloe McQuestion doubled to left to plate a run. That warranted a pitching change as
Andria Copelli came on to try an shut the door. Mercyhurst added another run later in the inning, but Copelli did her job to get the final two outs and the save, as SRU held on for the win, 4-2.
Sharman (W, 4-2) got the win going 6.1 innings allowing two runs on six hits and three walks while punching out a batter.
Pierucci (4-9) took the loss going 6.0 innings surrendering four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out three.
Copelli (S, 1) got the save allowing one hit in 0.2 innings.
Up Next
Slippery Rock will continue PSAC West play when it hosts Edinboro University Friday at the SRU Softball Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
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