JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team lost both games of its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader against the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Saturday at the V.E. Erickson Softball Complex in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
The Mountain Cats (8-22, 7-17 PSAC West) took game one 8-0, in five innings, over SRU (10-24, 8-20 PSAC West) before securing the sweep with a 4-2 win in game two.
Erin Gardner and
Leah Vith led The Rock offense over the two games, recording one RBI apiece while Gardner,
Kaitlyn Bowman,
Alexa Guglielmino,
Regan Hozak,
Julianna Hutchinson and
Lexie Zavarelle each tallied a hit on day.
Game One: Pitt-Johnstown 8, Slippery Rock 0 (Five Innings)
The Mountain Cats combined a seven-run second inning with a complete-game, two-hit shutout by Alyssa Hileman (3-6, 3.26 ERA) to secure an 8-0 victory in five innings.
Guglielmino and Hutchinson led the SRU lineup with one hit each while Rock starting pitcher
Kelsi Anderson (4-8, 2.80 ERA) took the loss after yielding eight runs, four being earned, on seven hits before giving way to
Claire Zimmerman (3-9, 4.98 ERA) who allowed two walks and struck out one without allowing a run in the final inning.
The duo of Taylor Mendicio and Olivia Porter paced the UPJ offense, combining to go 5-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored. Hileman retired 16 of the final 17 batters she faced en route to her second win of the season.
Pitt-Johnstown scored all eight of its runs over the first three innings, including seven in the bottom of the third. The seven-run frame was highlighted by a trio of RBI-singles by Mendicio, Bree Ginther and Maddie Flowers to clinch the 8-0 win.
Game Two: Pitt-Johnstown 4, Slippery Rock 2
Trailing by three runs entering the top of the sixth, The Rock struck back with two runs, highlighted by back-to-back singles by Hutchinson and Hozak along with a run-scoring double by Gardner.
However, Hileman stifled the SRU comeback effort by stranding runners on first and third with two outs in the sixth and retiring the side in order in the seventh to assure the 4-2 game two win.
Gardner and Vith paced the Slippery Rock offense with one RBI each while the quartet of Hozak, Hutchinson, Gardner and Zavarelle had one hit apiece.
Chloe Sharman (3-7, 3.01 ERA) took the loss, despite her third-consecutive complete-game effort. The sophomore allowed four runs, three being earned, on six hits while walking four batters and striking out five.
Hileman compiled her second complete-game effort of the day, surrendering two runs on four hits to secure her second victory of the day. Porter and Carly Santillo led the UPJ offense with one RBI each.
Pitt-Johnstown opened the scoring in the first on a bases-loaded walk followed by a runner scoring on a wild pitch, giving the Mountain Cats a two-run advantage. UPJ added to its lead with an additional run in the fifth to pull ahead 3-0.
Trailing by three in the sixth, Slippery Rock rallied with two runs, capped off by Gardner's RBI-double, to cut the UPJ advantage to just one. However, UPJ tallied an insurance run in the bottom of the frame to bring the Pitt-Johnstown advantage back to two runs before Hileman secured the game two win and the sweep by retiring The Rock in order in the seventh.
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock returns to action April 28 as it welcomes Fairmont State University to the SRU Softball Complex for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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