SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Kelsi Anderson struck out eight batters over 6.2 innings in game one, leading the Slippery Rock University softball team to a 5-2 victory and a split of its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader Saturday against Mercyhurst University at the SRU Softball Complex.
The Lakers (15-19, 14-16 PSAC West) bounced back with a 7-6 win over The Rock (13-25, 9-21 PSAC West) in game two.
After being honored as SRU's two graduating seniors in a pregame ceremony,
Leah Vith and
Alexa Guglielmino led the Slippery Rock lineup over the two games combining to go 8-for-14 with a triple, four runs scored and four RBI.
Kaitlyn Bowman added a 4-for-7 showing at the plate with a run scored and two RBI to round out The Rock's top performers.
Game One: Slippery Rock 5, Mercyhurst 2
Slippery Rock parlayed a four-run fourth inning with a solid start from Anderson (6-8, 2.52 ERA) who allowed two runs on four hits along with striking out eight batters to secure a 5-2 game one win.
Vith carried The Rock offense in game one, going 2-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and three RBI while
Cami Fisk added an RBI-double. Bowman, Guglielmino,
Erin Gardner and
Regan Hozak added one hit apiece.
The eight strikeouts for Anderson tied the second-highest strikeout total of her career before she was relieved with two outs in the seventh by
Chloe Sharman (4-7, 2.88 ERA) who came on to record the game's final out and secure her second save of the season.
The Laker lineup was paced by Brianne Egleston who went 2-for-4 with a double. MU starting pitcher Mikaela Schramski (6-5, 4.66 ERA) took the loss after allowing five runs, three being earned, on seven hits in a complete-game effort.
Slippery Rock opened the scoring in the fourth with four runs, capped off by a Vith two-run triple down the right field line followed by a Fisk RBI-double. Mercyhurst added a run of its own in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk to cut its deficit to three runs. However, The Rock responded in the home half of the sixth with a Vith sacrifice fly that plated Hozak from third base.
The Lakers mounted a rally in the top of the seventh, putting runners on first and third with two outs to force Anderson from the game in favor of Sharman. The sophomore yielded a run on a bases-loaded walk before forcing Courtney McQuestion to pop out to second base to close out the victory.
Game Two: Mercyhurst 7, Slippery Rock 6
SRU jumped out to a five-run lead heading into the third inning, but Mercyhurst stormed back with seven runs over the final four frames to clinch a 7-6 game two win.
Guglielmino paced The Rock lineup, tallying three hits in four at-bats along with recording an RBI and scoring twice. Vith tallied a 2-for-4 showing while Bowman went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.
Julianna Hutchinson added a two-RBI double to round out Slippery Rock's top performers in game two.
Sharman allowed three runs on three hits over the first 3.1 innings of work before giving way to
Claire Zimmerman (3-10, 5.31 ERA) who took the loss after giving up four runs on four hits in 1.2 innings. Anderson relieved Zimmerman in the sixth, pitching the final two frames without allowing a hit.
Sarah Koscho homered twice and recorded five RBI to lead the Mercyhurst offense while starting pitcher Cheyenne Hindman (2-5, 6.86 ERA) took a no-decision after giving up three runs on five hits in two innings. Morgan Hilty (3-5, 5.38 ERA) earned the win after pitching the final five frames, allowing three runs on six hits.
Slippery Rock took a three-run advantage in the home half of the second on a pair of run-scoring hits by Hutchinson and Gardner. The Rock added to their lead in the third when Guglielmino brought home Vith on an infield single followed by a run-scoring hit from Bowman, bringing SRU's lead to 5-0.
The Lakers responded with three runs in the fourth, capped off by a two-run home run off the bat of Koscho before taking its first lead of the day in the fifth on Koscho's second long ball, a three-run shot, giving MU a one-run advantage.
SRU struck back to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth on Bowman's second RBI-single of the day, but Mercyhurst re-gained the lead in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk.
In the seventh, Anderson retired the Lakers in order before Guglielmino singled and advanced to second on the throw to spark a rally from The Rock. Although Guglielmino moved to third on a groundout, The Rock was unable to push across the tying run as Mercyhurst held on for the 7-6 victory.
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock travels to Mercyhurst Sunday for a PSAC West doubleheader to complete the four-game series and its 2021 season. First pitch of game one is slated for noon.
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).
