ERIE, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team lost both games of its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division road doubleheader against Gannon University Tuesday at McConnell Family Stadium in Erie, Pennsylvania.
The Golden Knights (10-8, 9-5 PSAC West) took game one, 4-2, before completing the sweep of the four-game set with a 6-2 comeback win in game two.
The quartet of
Cami Fisk,
Mackenzie Freeman,
Erin Gardner and
Julianna Hutchinson led The Rock (2-14, 2-14 PSAC West) offense over the doubleheader. Hutchinson and Gardner each went 3-for-5 over the two games while Freeman recorded her first collegiate home run in game one while Fisk went 2-for-3 in game two with a home run, a run scored and two RBI.
Pitcher
Kelsi Anderson (1-6, 3.56 ERA) turned in a pair of stellar relief performances over the doubleheader allowing just two hits and striking out six over a combined 5.1 innings.
Game One: Gannon 4, Slippery Rock 2
Freeman hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth to cut the Gannon advantage to two runs, but SRU was unable to complete the comeback after Kennedy DeMatteis (5-5, 3.14 ERA) retired the final four batters she faced to secure the 4-2 game-one win.
Freeman tallied each of Slippery Rock's two RBI on the day while Hutchinson went 2-for-3 with a run scored and
Anna Villies added a double.
Chloe Sharman (0-2, 3.30 ERA) took her second loss of the season after allowing four runs, three being earned, on two walks and five hits before being relieved by Anderson who yielded just two hits over the final two innings.
Kaity Stocker led the Gannon offense going 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in addition to Nicole Bush, Megan Dietrick and Lily Gfeller each adding an extra-base hit. The forementioned DeMatteis recorded her third-straight complete-game effort allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out seven.
The Golden Knights scored three runs over the fourth and fifth innings highlighted by the Stocker two-run home run to chase Sharman from the game. Anderson stifled the GU bats the rest of the way allowing just two hits in addition to two walks over the final two innings.
SRU struck back with two runs in the sixth on the Freeman home run, but were stifled by DeMatteis the rest of the way in the 4-2 game one victory for Gannon.
Game Two: Gannon 6, Slippery Rock 2
Fisk recorded an RBI-single in the first inning followed by her first home run of the season in the third to give SRU an early two-run lead, but the Golden Knights paired a six-run third inning with Rebecca Tatone (4-1, 4.21 ERA) retiring 15 of the final 17 batters she faced to secure the 6-2 game two win.
Fisk and Gardner led The Rock offense in game two as each went 2-for-3 in addition to
Courtney Hoffman adding a hit. Hutchinson and
Leah Vith also reached base via walks.
Rock starting pitcher
Claire Zimmerman (1-6, 4.95 ERA) allowed six runs on six hits over 2.2 innings before giving way to Anderson who was perfect over the final 3.1 innings in addition to striking out four.
Kristina DeMatteis paced the Gannon lineup in game two going 3-for-3 with a three-run home run while Megan Dietrick added a home run and a double.
Tatone scattered six hits over a complete-game effort, yielding two runs in addition to striking out six. The six-run third inning by GU was highlighted by a Lyndsey Lakatos two-RBI single followed by back-to-back home runs by Kristina DeMatteis and Dietrick.
In its comeback effort, Slippery Rock stranded seven runners on base including leaving two runners on in the fifth.
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock returns to action Wednesday as it travels to Clarion University for a PSAC West doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on Twitter (@Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).
