GLENVILLE, W. Va. – The Slippery Rock University softball team picked up a doubleheader sweep over non-conference opponent Glenville State College on the road Sunday.
Slippery Rock took game one, 5-4, before completing the sweep over the Pioneers with a 6-5 win in game two. Sunday's sweep salvages a four-game series split for The Rock against GSC, improving their record to 3-5 on the young season in the process while Glenville State falls to 4-5.
Leaders of The Rock's offensive charge over two games included
Mackenzie Freeman who belted two home runs over the doubleheader with five RBI and two runs scored.
Julia Montie collected three hits in seven at bats while scoring two runs with one RBI and one home run as well.
Freeman has already hit three home runs in 2022, which is one more than The Rock's season-leader a year ago.
Rounding out Sunday's offensive leaders were
Arielle Brown who went 2-for-6 over two games with one run and one RBI and
Erin Gardner who tallied three hits and one run scored.
GAME ONE: SRU 5 - GSC 4
Slippery Rock and the Pioneers scored one run each heading into the fifth inning before SRU went on to tack on four additional runs, two in the fifth and two in the seventh, to Glenville States three runs in the sixth to claim a 5-4 victory in game one.
Montie and Freeman highlighted game one by combining to go 3-for-7 with three runs and three RBI. Montie opened SRU's scoring efforts with a solo homer in the third inning, the first of her career, while Freeman sealed The Rock's victory with a two-run home run in the seventh.
Gardner also went 2-for-4 with one run and a double for The Rock in the opener while Brown,
Emma Kennedy and
Anna Villies all had one hit as well with Villies also scoring one run
Kelsi Anderson (2-2) took the win in the circle for SRU after giving up six hits while striking out six and walking just two over seven innings of work for her second complete-game victory of the series. Of Glenville State's four runs scored against Anderson, only one was of the earned variety.
Slippery Rock took a slight 3-2 lead into the sixth inning, but the Pioneers recovered from defect by posting two runs to take a one-run advantage of their own heading into the final frame.
However, Slippery Rock responded with a rally of its own in the seventh inning. Gardner would single to lead off the inning before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brown to put the speedy leadoff hitter in scoring position with the heart of the batting order coming up.
Freeman then stepped to the plate and proceeded to launch a two-run home run to give Slippery Rock a lead it would never surrender as Anderson went on to retire Glenville State in order in the bottom of the seventh, with the final two outs coming by way of strikeout, to close out the 5-4 win.
Madison Thimmes (1-1) took the loss after allowing three runs, on five hits while striking out two batters in three innings pitched.
GAME TWO: SRU 6 - GSC 5
Slippery Rock once again persevered in the nightcap to claim another tight one-run victory, 6-5, over Glenville State to finish of the doubleheader sweep.
The Pioneers took a 3-1 lead over SRU into the fifth inning, but a five-run fifth frame by The Rock proved too much for Glenville to battle back from as SRU held GSC to just two additional runs over the final three innings en route to the win.
The Rock offense was paced once again by Freeman who turned hit yet another home run with three RBI.
Cami Fisk also drove in two runs in her only at-bat of the game.
Claire Zimmerman (1-0) earned the win in game two after allowing just one unearned run, on three hits while striking out one batter over 1.1 innings of relief work after replacing starter
Chloe Sharman who gave up two runs in 2.2 innings pitched.
Alexsa Hurd came on for Zimmerman in the fifth inning to finish out the game by scattering two runs on five hits and three walks while pocketing four strikeouts to earn her first collegiate save.
The Rock struck first with
Julianna Hutchinson stealing home in the second inning, but SRU went cold through the third and four frames while the Pioneers scored three runs over the stretch to claim a 3-1 lead midway through the contest.
Slippery Rock answered back in fine fashion though in the fifth inning with a three-run home run by Freeman followed four batters later by Fisk's two-run single to put SRU up 6-3 after five-and-a-half innings.
While Glenville State was able to pull to within one run in the sixth inning, any thoughts of a comeback were dashed in the seventh thanks to Hurd, who worked out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam by inducing a game-ending groundout to clinch the one-run win.
Ashley Fridley was the pitcher of record for Glenville State after allowing six runs on seven hits while walking three batters in 4.1 innings.
Slippery Rock travels south for a 12 contest-slate at The Spring Games in Winter Haven, Florida March 12-18. SRU faces Stonehill College (9 a.m.) and Felician University (11:30 a.m.) day one.
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