INDIANA, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team recovered from a 10-1 game one loss with a crucial 7-3 victory over Indiana University (Pa.) in game two Tuesday on the road.
 
The split moves The Rock to 11-18 on the season and 4-6 within the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division. The Crimson Hawks are now 21-12 overall with a 7-6 PSAC West mark.
 
While Julia Montie was one of nine hitters for The Rock through both games, she was the only one with more than one hit with a 2-for-5 effort that included two RBI and a double. Back-to-back home runs that came off the bats of Julia Nutter (1-for-6) and Alyssa Sheely (1-for-5) in the sixth inning of game two highlighted Slippery Rock's twin bill.
 
Grace Smith energized The Rock with a three-RBI single in a 1-for-6 day, while Emma Kennedy drove in a run going 1-for-4. Arielle Brown (1-for-4), Naomi Childs (1-for-2), Alexsa Hurd (1-for-4) and Jeanna Sukey (1-for-3) rounded out SRU's offense.
 
Hurd (4-6) claimed the game two victory from the circle, fanning eight batters through seven innings. Kelsi Anderson (2-8) got the game one start, tossing five strikeouts in 2.1 innings. Mackenzie Borkovich (5-3) dealt a strikeout in 1.1 innings before Paige Gresgott (0-1) closed out the final out of game one, inheriting a bases-loaded scenario.
 
GAME ONE – Indiana 10, Slippery Rock 1 (5 innings)
IUP's offense became too much for Slippery Rock in a 10-1 game one loss to the Crimson Hawks that wrapped up in five innings.
 
Slippery Rock cut a 5-0 difference that IUP had grown through the first three innings to 5-1 when Montie doubled into left center, scoring Brown. In combination with a bunt-single by Childs in the third inning, those two hits were the only of the contest for Slippery Rock.
 
Indiana logged a solo home run in the fourth before adding four more runs later in the inning to extend the lead to 10-1 that held through the top of the fifth.
 
Childs and Montie both went 1-for-2 in the game, leading SRU at the plate. Indiana held a 12-2 hitting advantage, while SRU recorded two errors.
 
Anderson struck out five of the 18 batters faced in the opening 2.1 innings before being relieved by Borkovich and Gresgott for the final 1.2 required innings. Kendall Young (8-5) picked up the win for IUP with seven strikeouts and just 60 pitches thrown.
 
GAME TWO – Slippery Rock 7, Indiana 3
Slippery Rock got back in the win column with a 7-3 victory over Indiana in game two that started with a strong first-inning showing.
 
The Rock opened the contest with a four-run output in the first frame that came from Montie being hit by a pitch with bases loaded prior to a three-RBI double down the left line by Smith.
 
Indiana looked to be rallying through the middle of the game, chomping Slippery Rock's 4-0 lead to 4-3 with two runs in the third inning and a solo homer in the fourth.
 
Kennedy aided SRU with an RBI-single that dropped into centerfield in the top of the fifth for a 5-3 lead before Nutter and Sheely put IUP's comeback hopes to rest with back-to-back solo shots out of the park to lead off in the sixth.
 
Trailing 7-3, the Crimson Hawks gave it one last shot in the bottom of the seventh when they brought the tying run to the plate with bases loaded and two outs. Ultimately, IUP left three runners stranded, guaranteeing the four-run win for The Rock.
 
Slippery Rock's eight runs came from eight different batters, with Smith batting in three of The Rock's seven runs. Indiana concluded the game with a 9-8 hitting edge in the game in which neither side committed an error.
 
Hurd pitched the entire seven-inning game for Slippery Rock, throwing eight strikeouts, walking two of the 32 batters faced and throwing 143 total pitches. IUP cycled through three pitchers with its first swap coming in the first inning. Jaycee Haidze (3-1) took her first loss of the year after starting the game and allowing SRU's first three runs.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock is now slated to host the next seven doubleheaders of the season all at Kasnevich Field in a 10-day span beginning 2 p.m. Wednesday against Gannon University.





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