ERIE, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team dropped both games of its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division doubleheader against Mercyhurst University Sunday at the Mercyhurst Softball Field in Erie, Pennsylvania to conclude its 2021 season.
The Lakers (17-19, 16-16 PSAC West) took game one, 10-5, before completing the sweep with a 3-1 win over The Rock (13-27, 9-23 PSAC West) in game two.
Alexa Guglielmino paced The Rock offense over the two games, going 3-for-7 with three RBI in addition to
Maggie Moore tallying three hits in six at-bats along with driving in a run.
Game One: Mercyhurst 10, Slippery Rock 5
Slippery Rock held a three-run lead through the first three innings, but Mercyhurst responded with eight runs over the fourth and fifth innings to secure a 10-5 comeback victory in game one.
Guglielmino led The Rock offense, going 3-for-4 with three RBI while Villies tallied two hits in four at-bats in addition to scoring twice.
Kaitlyn Bowman,
Cami Fisk,
Regan Hozak and
Leah Vith recorded one hit apiece.
Kelsi Anderson (6-9, 2.94 ERA) took the loss after giving up 10 runs, eight being earned, on 10 hits over four innings before being relieved by
Claire Zimmerman (3-10, 5.14 ERA) who allowed just two hits over the final two frames.
Natalie Graff, Sarah Koscho and Anna O'Geen paced the Laker lineup, combining to go 5-for-10 with a home run, six RBI and six runs scored. Mikeala Schramski (7-5, 4.26 ERA) picked up the win after allowing five runs, none being earned, on 10 hits in addition to striking out five batters.
Slippery Rock opened the scoring with two runs in the first on back-to-back RBI-singles by Guglielmino and Moore. Mercyhurst tied the score in the bottom of the frame after a pair of runs came home on a fielding error and a fielder's choice.
The Rock took back their lead in the top of the second when
Erin Gardner came home to score on an infield single by Fisk before Guglielmino tallied a two-RBI single, putting Slippery Rock up by three runs.
The three-run advantage was quickly erased by MU, as the Lakers scored eight runs over the fourth and fifth innings, highlighted by a Koscho solo-home run, giving Mercyhurst a five-run advantage it wouldn't relinquish as Schramski retired six of the final eight batters she faced to secure the game one win.
Game Two: Mercyhurst 3, Slippery Rock 1
Mercyhurst parlayed a three-run home run off the bat of Allison Dejidas in the fifth inning with a complete-game, one-run effort by Morgan Hilty to secure a 3-1 victory in game two over The Rock and a sweep of the doubleheader.
Moore paced the SRU offense, going 2-for-3 while Fisk recorded an RBI-double for Slippery Rock's lone run of the contest.
Chloe Sharman (4-8, 2.92 ERA) took the loss despite a solid outing, allowing three runs on six hits in addition to striking out four in a complete-game effort.
Dejidas led the Mercyhurst lineup, going 2-for-3 with the forementioned home run along with a double and three RBI. Hilty (4-5, 5.03 ERA) earned the win after giving up just one run on five hits and one walk over seven innings.
After Hilty and Sharman traded scoreless frames through the first four innings, the Lakers opened the scoring when Dejidas launched a three-run home run over the left field wall, giving Mercyhurst a 3-0 advantage.
The Rock struck back with a run in the top of the sixth when Vith came home to score on a double by Fisk, cutting the Mercyhurst lead to just two runs. However, Hilty settled in following the Fisk RBI-double, retiring four of the final five batters she faced to cement the game two win.
Slippery Rock ends the season with a 13-27 record in addition to a 9-23 mark in conference play. The Rock is set to return 17 of its 19 players for the 2022 season.
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