SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team posted a convincing 9-1 win in five innings over Mercyhurst University in game one before suffering a 3-1 defeat in game two Tuesday at Kasnevich Field.
 
With both teams having beaten one another twice this year, The Rock are now 16-21 overall and 9-9 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division. The Lakers moved to 13-22 on the year with a 6-10 mark in conference play.
 
Mackenzie Freeman went yard in back-to-back innings in game one, going 3-for-5 with three RBI on the twin bill.  Alexsa Hurd also homered in game one, highlighting a phenomenal 4-for-6 effort with three RBI through the afternoon. Aubrey Mansfield's 2-for-7 performance on the day was also sparked by a game one homer, one of SRU's four.
 
Alyssa Sheely and Jeanna Sukey both went 2-for-3 on the day, while Julia Montie added SRU's eighth RBI of the day by converting 2-for-5. Naomi Childs (1-for-2) and Arielle Brown (1-for-4) both recorded a hit in the doubleheader as well.
 
Hurd (7-8) picked up her third straight win in game one, pitching 79 pitches through 5.0 innings while recording five strikeouts and giving up just three hits. Kelsi Anderson (4-9) held the Lakers to just three runs in game two and dealt 10 strikeouts, suffering the loss in the 7.0-inning effort.
 
GAME ONE – Slippery Rock 9, Mercyhurst 1 (5 innings)
Freeman's first two home runs of the 2024 season accounted for half of the four homers SRU posted in a 9-1 game one win over Mercyhurst.
 
Slippery Rock held a 3-0 lead after seeing just 12 pitches in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a two-run homer from Hurd that scored Brown with a solo shot from Mansfield to follow. Slippery Rock wanted more when it left two on base in the second and got that extra boost it was looking for when Freeman delivered a crushing solo home run in the third for a 4-0 advantage.
 
Following two quick outs in the top of the fourth, Mercyhurst's Francesca Latino took advantage of her turn for a home run, cutting the lead to 4-1. Slippery Rock responded with the game-winning blow in the bottom of the fourth, though, tallying five more to the board for a 9-1 grip.
 
When a sac bunt from Brown put runners on second and third, Hurd drove a single into deep right field to score Julia Nutter. Sheely got in on the fun by coming across the plate on the very next pitch which whiffed past the catcher, giving SRU a 6-1 lead. A double that knocked off the fence in centerfield by Montie brought Mansfield to the dish, adding a seventh run for The Rock.
 
After Mercyhurst's second pitching change of the game, Freeman raked her second home run on an 0-1 count, soaring past the wall in left center with plenty of distance to spare.
 
The Lakers were unable to get a hit in the top of the fifth, trailing 9-1, ultimately cutting the game short and giving SRU its fourth straight win.
 
Freeman and Hurd both went 3-for-3 in the derby while Mansfield's home run was her lone hit of a 1-for-3 game. Montie's (1-for-3) double was the team's fifth extra-base hit of the game. Brown went 1-for-1 while Sheely went 2-for-2, giving Slippery Rock an 11-3 hitting advantage over Mercyhurst.
 
Hurd allowed just three hits and one run while tossing five strikeouts in the 5.0 innings pitched for SRU. Bailey Cannon (1-4) recorded the loss throwing the first dozen pitches of the game for the Lakers.
 
GAME TWO – Mercyhurst 3, Slippery Rock 1
A late-game rally came up short for Slippery Rock in a 3-1 game two loss to the Lakers.
 
Mercyhurst snatched a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a wild pitch with a runner on third. Slippery Rock later found the tying run in the bottom of the third after Sukey got on base with a double and scored when Hurd got out of a pickle after hitting an infield base-hit.
 
The Lakers got a runner to third base in the fifth but did not score until Latino hit another home run in the top of the sixth, scoring two runs for a 3-1 lead that held true through the remainder of the contest.
 
Slippery Rock gave itself an opportunity for a walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh when two hits and an error loaded the bases. That was when Mercyhurst made a pitching change with bags filled and one out recorded, securing the split with a strikeout and a flyout to centerfield.  
 
Sukey proved to be SRU's top hitter in the game going 2-for-3, while Childs (1-for-2), Hurd (1-for-3), Mansfield (1-for-4) and Montie (1-for-2) all aided offensively. Mercyhurst concluded the game with a 7-6 edge in hits.
 
Anderson allowed just two earned runs and walked only one batter while dealing 10 strikeouts to the 29 batters she faced. It was Morgan Hilty (7-6), however, getting the win for Mercyhurst with three of the team's four strikeouts. Alexa North (4-6, 1) earned the save in the seventh inning.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock will be right back at Kasnevich Field 2 p.m. Wednesday to face Clarion in a PSAC West doubleheader. The Rock split with the Golden Eagles March 25 in their conference-opener.





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