CLARION, Pa. – Mackenzie Freeman and
Cami Fisk combined for four hits and five RBI in game two, leading the Slippery Rock University softball team to an 11-2 victory to secure a split of its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader Wednesday against Clarion University at Memorial Stadium in Clarion, Pennsylvania.
The Golden Eagles (7-11, 5-9 PSAC West) took the opener from Slippery Rock (3-15, 3-15 PSAC West), 3-1, before SRU stormed back with its nine-run six-inning victory in game two.
In addition to the strong efforts in game two from Fisk and Freeman,
Erin Gardner and
Anna Villies each added two hits and an RBI while
Alexa Guglielmino added a two-RBI single in the night cap.
Chloe Sharman (0-2, 3.09 ERA) turned in yet another solid pair of relief outings over the two games, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out four over 4.1 combined innings of work.
Kelsi Anderson (1-7, 3.40 ERA) tallied the third-best strikeout total of her career, punching out six batters in game one.
Game One: Clarion 3, Slippery Rock 1
Slippery Rock fell behind by three runs early on and its comeback bid was halted in the seventh inning as Clarion recorded a 3-1 victory in game one.
Trailing 3-0 entering the seventh inning, Guglielmino lined a single down the right field line followed by a
Regan Hozak walk to setup The Rock with runners on first and second with one out. A Gardner fielder's choice moved the runners up a base before Villies sent an RBI-single to left field, scoring Hozak to cut the Clarion advantage to 3-1 with two outs.
Vith kept the rally alive by drawing a walk to load the bases, but Slippery Rock was unable to complete the comeback as Liroff stranded the bases loaded to secure the 3-1 win.
Anderson scattered six hits over four innings of work, allowing two runs, one being earned, along with the forementioned six strikeouts. Sharman yielded just one run on three hits in the final two innings of relief.
Villies led The Rock offense going 1-for-3 with an RBI-single in addition to Guglielmino, Hozak and Hutchinson adding one hit apiece.
Makenzie Wolfe paced the Clarion lineup going 2-for-3 with two runs scored in addition to a two-hit showing from Nicole Collins. Jessica Cartia and Chelsea Liroff each drove in a run for the Golden Eagles.
Liroff (3-1, 4.10 ERA) allowed one run on four hits, four walks and two strikeouts in a complete-game effort in the circle.
Game Two: Slippery Rock 11, Clarion 2 (Six Innings)
Slippery Rock parlayed a season-high 11 runs on 13 hits with a strong showing from the pairing of
Claire Zimmerman (2-6, 4.85 ERA) and Sharman in the circle which allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out four to secure an 11-2 game two victory.
Freeman led The Rock offense going 2-for-3 with a double, three RBI and a run scored in addition to two hits and two RBI from Fisk. Rounding out the multi-hit efforts for SRU were Gardner and Villies who tallied two hits apiece in addition to scoring a combined three runs. Guglielmino added a two-RBI single while Hozak, Hutchinson and
Lexie Zavarelle added one hit apiece.
Zimmerman got the start for The Rock in the circle and yielded two runs on four hits before giving way to Sharman with two outs in the fourth. Sharman went on to allow just one hit while striking out two over 2.1 innings of work.
Collins was the lone Clarion batter with two hits going 2-for-3 while Hannah Norton tallied her first home run of the 2021 season.
The Golden Eagles used four pitchers in game two, with starter Megan Anderson (1-4, 6.11 ERA) taking the loss after allowing three runs, two being earned, on five hits in three innings of work.
Slippery Rock scored six runs over the first four innings, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Fisk in the first, an opposite field RBI-single by Freeman in the third and a pair of run-scoring singles by Gardner and Hutchinson in the fourth.
After Clarion took back two runs in the home half of the fourth on the Norton home run, The Rock responded with another five runs in the sixth including a two-run double off the bat of Freeman and an RBI-single by Zavarelle to secure the 11-2 win.
The 11 runs against Clarion marked the most for runs scored in a single-game for The Rock since scoring 11 times against Newberry College last season. Additionally, Slippery Rock's 13 hits are its most in a single-game since recording 18 hits against Virginia State University in 2020.
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock returns to action Friday as it welcomes Edinboro University to the SRU Softball Complex to begin a four-game PSAC West series. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
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