SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team swept a non-conference doubleheader against Wheeling University Tuesday at the SRU Softball Complex.
The Rock (7-17, 5-17 PSAC West) took game one, 4-1, before completing the sweep over the Cardinals (8-20, 5-11 MEC North) with a 6-3 win in game two.
Erin Gardner went 5-for-7 over the doubleheader with two RBI, two doubles and two runs scored.
Alexa Guglielmino and
Cami Fisk also collected hits in both games Tuesday as Guglielmino went 3-for-6 with two runs scored and Fisk produced a 3-for-7, one-RBI showing.
In the circle,
Kelsi Anderson (2-7, 2.48 ERA) retired 20 of the final 21 batters she faced in game one while
Claire Zimmerman (3-8, 4.65 ERA) nearly pitched the second complete game of her career in what was a great performance in game two.
Game One: Slippery Rock 4, Wheeling 1
Slippery Rock parlayed a 10-hit, four-run showing from its lineup with a complete-game effort from Anderson who yielded just one run to secure the 4-1 game one win.
In addition to allowing just one run, Anderson gave up just three hits while striking out five over seven innings of work. The three hits tied the second-lowest total allowed by Anderson in a start this season while the freshman's five strikeouts tied her fourth-highest mark in 2021.
Regan Hozak led The Rock offense in game one going 1-for-2 with three RBI in addition to Gardner going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Fisk, Guglielmino,
Courtney Hoffman and
Maggie Moore each tallied two hits while Guglielmino added two runs scored.
Aubrie Lafferty (1-3, 4.83 ERA) took the loss for WU in game one after allowing three runs, one being earned, on eight hits.
Trailing by a run in the second, Slippery Rock loaded the bases with two outs for Hozak on a pair of singles by Moore and Guglielmino in addition to
Kaitlyn Bowman reaching on a fielding error. The sophomore lined a single to center field, scoring Moore and Guglielmino to give SRU its first lead of the day.
The Rock extended their advantage to 4-1 after adding a pair of insurance runs in the fourth and sixth innings on a sacrifice fly by Hozak and an RBI-double by Gardner to secure the game one victory on the back of the stellar effort from Anderson.
Game Two: Slippery Rock 6, Wheeling 3
Anna Villies went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored and
Chloe Sharman (2-7, 2.48 ERA) extinguished a seventh-inning rally from Wheeling to secure the 6-3 game two victory and a sweep of the doubleheader.
Gardner went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI as well in addition to
Leah Vith going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Fisk and Guglielmino each recorded a double and
Lexie Zavarelle tallied a hit and a run scored.
Zimmerman (3-8, 4.65) earned the win after allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out four over 6.1 innings before giving way to Sharman, who retired both of the batters she faced to pick up the save. Zimmerman did not allow a run in her first six innings pitched.
Gina Fogle led the Wheeling lineup in game two, going 2-for-3 with a two-RBI double. Jamie Anderson (2-6, 4.88 ERA) took the loss in the circle after giving up six runs, three being earned, on eight hits.
Slippery Rock got the scoring started when Fisk lined a double into the left center field gap, scoring Villies to give The Rock their first lead of the day. SRU extended its advantage the next inning with back-to-back run-scoring hits by Gardner and Villies before scoring another two runs in the fourth on a Villies RBI-double and a run-scoring single by Vith to extend its advantage to six runs.
The Cardinals rallied in the seventh against Zimmerman, cutting the SRU advantage to just three runs on a two-RBI double by Fogle and a run-scoring groundout by Casey Kemp before Sharman neutralized the threat and secured the sweep.
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock returns to action Wednesday as it welcomes West Liberty University to the SRU Softball Complex for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch of game one is slated for 3 p.m.
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