INDIANA, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team earned its first victory of the 2021 season in a doubleheader split on the road against Indiana University (Pa.) Tuesday in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division competition.
IUP (3-1, 3-1 PSAC West) opened the twin bill with a 6-5 victory over The Rock (1-3, 1-3 PSAC West) before SRU earned an 8-7 extra
-inning victory in game two.
Slippery Rock was led on the day by the trio of
Anna Villies,
Cami Fisk and
Courtney Hoffman. Villies tallied four hits over the doubleheader in addition to driving in two runs and scoring three times. Fisk continued her strong start to the season at the plate, tallying four hits while Hoffman finished the day a combined 3-for-8 with two doubles and two RBI.
Game One: IUP 6, Slippery Rock 5
Slippery Rock held a one-run lead in the fifth inning, but was unable to hold on as IUP rallied with runs in the fifth and sixth innings to secure a 6-5 game one victory.
Trailing 2-0 entering the third inning, Slippery Rock responded with two runs of its own when Villies lined a single through the left side, scoring
Kaitlyn Bowman and
Erin Gardner to tie the contest at 2-2.
The Crimson Hawks bats wouldn't stay quiet for long however as Hope Jones and Kaitlyn Beers hit back-to-back home solo home runs in the third to push the IUP advantage to 4-2. SRU struck back with a big fly of its own the following inning coming of the bat of
Alexa Guglielmino, the fourth home run of her career and first this season, to cut the Slippery Rock deficit to one.
The Rock took their first lead of the day in the fifth inning when
Regan Hozak singled through the right-side scoring Hoffman and
Lexie Zavarelle to give SRU a 5-4 lead.
The advantage quickly evaporated however as Indiana struck back with runs in each of the next two innings to take a lead it would never relinquish. SRU had a chance to tie the game in the seventh, but The Rock was unable to complete the comeback as Hozak would be stranded on third base to end the game.
Rock game one starter
Chloe Sharman (0-0) allowed four runs, three being earned, on four hits over 2.1 innings of work before giving way to
Kelsi Anderson (1-1) in relief. Anderson was solid in the circle despite taking the loss, allowing two runs, one being earned, on four hits while striking out three over the final 3.2 frames.
Slippery rock was led on offense by Villies and Hozak who tallied two RBI apiece. Fisk went 3-for-4 in the opener. Bowman also had a multi-hit game at 2-for-3 with one run scored. Guglielmino's home run was the first of 2021 by a Rock player.
Indiana starting pitcher Hope Jones (0-0) allowed four runs on six hits while walking three and striking out nine over 4.1 innings before being relieved by Amanda Fischer (2-1). In the final 2.2 innings of work Fischer allowed just one unearned run on four hits while striking out four. The IUP offense was carried by Jones and Rachel Rodriguez who combined for four hits, four RBI and four runs scored.
Game Two: Slippery Rock 8, IUP 7 (Eight Innings)
Slippery Rock scored six runs over the first two innings to take an early lead prior to securing its first victory of the 2021 season in eight innings over IUP, 8-7.
The Slippery Rock offense was led by Hoffman and
Claire Zimmerman who combined for a run scored, four hits, including three doubles and six RBI. Zimmerman supported her own cause at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a double and four RBI. Hoffman drove in two runs on two hits.
Additionally, Villies added a 3-for-4 day at the plate with three runs scored and Slippery Rock native
Julianna Hutchinson went 2-for-4 with a run scored in her collegiate debut.
In the circle, Zimmerman (0-2) allowed five runs, two being earned, along with walking one and striking out a batter over 5.2 innings of work before being relieved by Anderson who gave up just two runs on one hit over the final 2.1 innings en route to her first collegiate victory.
The Rock offense came out firing from the first pitch of game two when Gardner and Villies led off the contest with back-to-back singles followed by Fisk being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Zimmerman proceeded to bring in the game's first run on an RBI groundout. Hoffman followed suit with a bases-clearing two-run double to push the Slippery Rock advantage to 3-0.
After retiring the Crimson Hawks in order in the home half of the first, SRU once again loaded the bases for Zimmerman who lined a double into the right centerfield gap, scoring three to extend The Rock's lead to 6-0 in the second.
IUP responded by scoring seven of the next eight runs of the contest to tie the game at 7-7 and force the contest into extra innings.
With one out in the eighth, Villies singled to center before moving to second on a wild pitch and advancing to third via a
Leah Vith single. Villies went on to score the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice off the bat of Fisk before IUP could get out of the inning.
In her second full inning of relief, Anderson retired the Crimson Hawks in order to secure the first victory of the season for The Rock.
Rodriguez led the IUP offensive effort in game two, tallying two RBI. Reliever Fischer (2-1) was the pitcher of record for IUP after surrendering two runs on seven hits over the final 6.1 innings of the game.
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock returns to action Wednesday as it travels to Seton Hill University to begin a four-game PSAC West series with the Griffins. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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