WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Slippery Rock University softball team concluded its time at The Spring Games with an 8-3 loss to Purdue University Northwest before dropping a 1-0 decision in extra innings against Hillsdale College.
 
The Rock falls to 7-12 on the season after collecting a 5-7 record on their spring trip. Purdue Northwest improved to 15-10 overall while Hillsdale bumped its record up to 11-8.
 
Alexsa Hurd led Slippery Rock in all fronts on the day. From the plate, she recorded the team's only two-hit performance by going 2-for-6 with a double. Hurd (2-4) also pitched seven full innings while striking out nine batters, allowing only three hits and no earned runs in that span.
 
Kelsi Anderson (2-5) finished the day with five strikeouts in five innings pitched. Mackenzie Borkovich (3-2) pitched a 1.1 inning stint for The Rock while Paige Gresgott (0-1) saw 0.2 innings as well.
 
SRU's two RBI in the day came from Julia Montie (1-for-6) and Julia Nutter (0-for-3). Naomi Childs (1-for-2) and Aubrey Mansfield (1-for-6) rounded out Slippery Rock's hitting.
 
GAME ONE – Purdue Northwest 8, Slippery Rock 3
Slippery Rock struck first with a two-run opening inning but fell in an 8-3 decision to Purdue Northwest when The Pride scored in each of the final five frames.
 
Montie got The Rock started with an RBI-single that brought Arielle Brown home for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. With bases loaded, Nutter was hit by a pitch to move everyone up one spot and extend the advantage to 2-0.
 
Anderson pitched well early on, striking out four of the six batters faced through the first two innings. The Pride were able to level things at 2-2 with a pair of runs in the third inning, initially stemming from a wild pitch.
 
PNW added to its tally in the fourth inning with an RBI-single for a 3-2 lead. Slippery Rock responded when Hurd went from second to home on a flyout and an error to tie things at 3-3.
 
Purdue Northwest claimed the go-ahead run in the fifth inning via a sacrifice bunt paired with an error. With a 4-3 lead, The Pride then piled on two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings.
 
SRU put together two more hits in the game but was unable to bring any more runs home in the five-run loss.
 
Hurd spearheaded The Rock's offensive efforts by batting 2-for-3 with a double, scoring one run. Anderson fanned five batters through five innings before Borkovich pitched 1.1 innings and Gresgott, the final 0.2.  
 
The Pride ended the game with a 13-5 advantage over The Rock in hits, while errors tilted in SRU's favor, 3-2. Purdue Northwest's top slugger was found in Jessica DeBoer, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a double and a run.
 
GAME TWO – Hillsdale 1, Slippery Rock 0 (8 innings)
Despite Hurd commanding the circle and allowing just three hits in the game, Slippery Rock's offense was limited in a 1-0 extra innings loss to Hillsdale.
 
A bunt in the second inning that Childs turned into a single was the only hit of the game for The Rock, while the Chargers started the game with just two singles themselves split between the first and third innings.
 
Hurd struck out nine of the 27 batters faced and walked just one Charger to aid Slippery Rock through seven innings. Hillsdale's third and final hit of the meeting came in the bottom of the seventh, but a pair of popups confirmed the 0-0 deadlock.
 
With three quick outs plaguing Slippery Rock's chances in the eighth inning, Hillsdale was able to take advantage of the opportunity when an error put runners on the corners. A passed ball brought Emma Sather across the plate with the 1-0 victory.
 
Hurd allowed no earned runs in her three-hit performance. Childs, who had SRU's lone hit of the game, wound up going 1-for-2 at the plate.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock will now focus its attention to the team's home opener and first game in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference competition when The Rock hosts Indiana University (Pa.) in a 2 p.m. doubleheader March 19.




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