SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock softball team will play eight games over the next five days including home doubleheaders against non-conference opponents Wheeling University and West Liberty University before completing the eight-game week with a four-game series against Clarion University.
The Rock will open the week by hosting a pair of non-conference opponents beginning Tuesday with Wheeling followed by two more games at the SRU Softball Complex Wednesday against West Liberty. First pitch both days is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Following a day off, SRU will then embark on a four-game set against Clarion. The first two games of the series played at the SRU Softball Complex Friday beginning at 2:30 p.m. will count towards the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division standings while the doubleheader played at CU 2 p.m. Saturday will be a non-conference twin bill.
SPECTATOR POLICIES
Per the Slippery Rock spectator policy (available
HERE), only a limited number of pre-approved SRU fans will be admitted at outdoor events with each student-athlete and coach receiving four tickets to each home event. Visiting teams will be given two tickets per student-athlete and coach.
There will be no open admission to the public and anyone not on the approved list for each event. All fans will be required to be temperature checked and wear masks for the entire duration of their time inside SRU facilities.
Clarion is allowing a limited number of spectators at outdoor events this spring. Entrance will be limited to family and friends designated by event participants ahead of scheduled competition, with the total number contingent upon the capacity for the given date.
Visiting fans must be on a pre-approved pass list that will be returned to Clarion 24 hours before the event and will need to provide their driver's license to confirm their identity upon arrival to the athletic facility. Spectators are required to wear a mask and socially distance over the duration of their stay at the CU athletic facility. Full details of the spectator policy can be found
HERE.
LIVE COVERAGE
Video will be available for The Rock's home games against Wheeling and Clarion as well as their away contests against the Golden Eagles. In-game statistics will be available for all eight games this week.
WATCH ON YOUR TV - "ROCK ATHLETICS DIGITAL NETWORK" APPS
• Fans can watch the games on Tuesday and Friday live and on-demand for free on the Rock Athletics Digital Network, created and operated by the SRU athletic communication office.
• Search for Rock Athletics Digital Network in the app stores on Amazon Fire TV, Apple RV, Roku and Android TV devices. The streaming web player linked above will also integrate with Chrome Cast devices to allow viewers to cast the game to those devices.
SERIES HISTORY
Slippery Rock leads the all-time series over Wheeling, 13-7, including winning each of its last three matchups with Cardinals in a series that dates back to the 1982 season.
West Liberty leads SRU, 3-2, in the all-time series that includes just five meetings. The Rock split a road doubleheader against the Hilltoppers in the last matchup between the two programs in 2011.
SRU holds a 67-38 lead in 105 games against Clarion in a series that began in 1979. The Rock split a road doubleheader against the Golden Eagles on April 7.
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
Record: 5-17
PSAC West Record: 5-17
Home Record: 2-8
Away Record: 3-9
PSAC West Standings: Ninth
Streak: L1
Last Five Games: 3-2
Head Coach: Stacey Rice l Seventh Season (105-145)
SCOUTING THE ROCK
LAST TIME OUT – Slippery Rock earned a split in the final two games of its four-game series against Edinboro. The Rock took game one, 6-4, before the Fighting Scots bounced back with a 3-2 win in game two.
SRU was led by
Maggie Moore who went 2-for-5 with three RBI over the two games in addition to
Erin Gardner and
Leah Vith recording multi-hit efforts.
Chloe Sharman (2-2, 2.73 ERA) and
Kelsi Anderson (1-7, 2.66 ERA) turned in a pair of solid relief outings to anchor Slippery Rock's efforts in the circle.
STEPPING TO THE PLATE – Cami Fisk has a team-high .313 (20-for-64) batting average with a home run, a double, four runs scored and nine RBI.
Gardner ranks second on the team in batting average at .304 (24-for-79) with a double, two RBI and 11 runs scored.
Anna Villies rounds out the top batters for The Rock this season, hitting .303 (20-for-66) and is tied for the team-lead in doubles with
Courtney Hoffman with three in addition to ranking second on the team in RBI with eight.
Moore, Vith,
Regan Hozak and
Claire Zimmerman are tied for third in RBI with five apiece while Vith has two hits.
IN THE CIRCLE – After yielding six runs, only one being earned, in addition to tallying 20 strikeouts in six appearances last week, Anderson lowered her season ERA to a rotation-best 2.66. The freshman leads Rock pitchers in innings pitched (58), strikeouts (54) and batting average against (.250).
Sharman continued to pitch well out of the bullpen, lowering her ERA to 2.73 after allowing just two earned runs in addition to striking out 14 batters over 11.1 relief innings last week.
Rounding out The Rock pitching staff is
Claire Zimmerman (2-8, 4.83 ERA) who has pitched 46.1 innings allowing 40 runs, 32 being earned, on 57 hits in addition to recording 24 strikeouts.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH – In a doubleheader played earlier this season against Clarion, Fisk and
Mackenzie Freeman combined for four hits and five RBI to lead Slippery Rock to an 11-2 game two victory over the Golden Eagles.
Since returning to the starting lineup for Slippery Rock last week, Freeman has tallied five hits in 14 at-bats with a home run, a double, a run scored and five RBI.
Sharman turned in a solid pair of relief outings in the forementioned twin bill, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out four over 4.1 combined innings of work. Anderson tallied the third-highest strikeout total of her career in game one of the doubleheader, punching out six batters.
ROUNDING THIRD – Among the top remaining performers for Slippery Rock is the trio of Moore, Vith and
Alexa Guglielmino.
Moore tallied a game-winning, two-RBI single in game one of Saturday's doubleheader against Edinboro to raise her season RBI total to five. Vith is batting .246 (16-for-65) with a triple, two doubles, four runs scored and five RBI.
Guglielmino has recorded at least one hit in four of her last six games, raising her batting average to .206 (13-for-63) in addition to a home run, a double, five RBI and six runs scored.
MILESTONE WATCH – After starting each of the two games against Edinboro Saturday, Guglielmino holds the longest consecutive games started streak in program history at 152.
WHEELING PRIMER
Record: 8-18
MEC North Record: 5-11
Home Record: 2-8
Away Record: 6-10
MEC North Standings: Fifth
Streak: L1
Last Five Games: 2-3
Head Coach: Caressa DeRossett l First Season (8-18)
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Wheeling is led at the plate by Cassi Roman who is batting .373 (28-for-75) with two home runs, eight doubles, 11 runs scored and 17 RBI. Autumn Oehlstrom is hitting .371 (26-for-70) with a 1.086 OPS, five home runs, 12 RBI and 13 runs scored.
Madison Macy (3-3, 5.25 ERA) has logged a rotation-best 45.1 innings pitched allowing 43 runs, 34 being earned, on 83 hits in addition to striking out 14 batters. Jamie Anderson (2-5, 4.93 ERA) has yielded 39 runs, 27 being earned, on 59 hits over 38.1 innings.
WEST LIBERTY PRIMER
Record: 15-9
MEC North Record: 11-5
Home Record: 7-3
Away Record: 8-4
MEC North Standings: Second
Streak: W6
Last Five Games: 5-0
Head Coach: Herb Minch l 23rd Season (491-537-2)
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
Kat Donzella is the top hitter for West Liberty through 24 games, hitting .473 (35-for-74) with a triple, three home runs, seven doubles and 17 RBI. Katie Beeman is batting .387 (29-for-75) with a home run, six doubles and a team-high 18 RBI.
In the circle, Annie Patterson (3-3, 1.48 ERA) has yielded just 16 runs, nine being earned, while striking out 92 batters in 54.2 innings pitched for an average of 7.1 strikeouts per appearance.
CLARION PRIMER
Record: 7-15
PSAC West Record: 5-13
Home Record: 6-6
Away Record: 1-9
PSAC West Standings:
Streak: L5
Last Five Games: 0-5
Head Coach: Lis Fee l Sixth Season, Second at Clarion (65-123)
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Clarion is led at the plate by Brooke Cline who is batting .384 (28-for-73) with two doubles, three triples and 18 RBI in addition to scoring a team-high 20 runs. Rebecca Kelley has a .377 (26-for-69) batting average along with being tied for the team-lead in home runs with Jessica Cartia at three. The forementioned Cartia leads the Golden Eagles in RBI (25) and ranks second in doubles (6).
The Clarion pitching staff is led by Chelsea Liroff (3-1, 4.54 ERA) who has yielded 27 runs, 24 being earned, in a rotation-high 37 innings pitched. Liroff faced Slippery Rock earlier this season allowing one run on four hits in a complete-game effort.
Megan Anderson (1-5, 5.67 ERA) has logged the second-most innings for Clarion this season with 33.1, allowing 39 runs, 27 being earned, on 50 hits.
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock returns to action April 23 as it welcomes the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown to the SRU Softball Complex for a PSAC West doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
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