QUAKERTOWN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team saw its 2024 season come to a conclusion after its hard-fought effort came up short in a 6-4 loss to the Golden Knights of Gannon University Wednesday in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.
 
The Rock wrap up their season at 25-27 overall that included an 18-13 mark in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division play. The PSAC West's top-seeded Golden Knights improved to 31-12 on the year and will continue in the PSAC Tournament with an elimination game against California (Pa.) Thursday.
 
Slippery Rock held the lead at two different times in the game thanks to home runs from both Mackenzie Freeman and Aubrey Mansfield. With the pair of homers, The Rock capped off their record-breaking season with exactly 50 home runs from 11 different players.
 
GU held a 9-7 edge in hits through the contest, with all seven of SRU's hits coming from as many players: Freeman (1-for-3), Mansfield (1-for-4), Arielle Brown (1-for-4), Alexsa Hurd (1-for-3), Julia Montie (1-for-3), Emma Kennedy (1-for-2) and Grace Smith who doubled in a 1-for-2 showing.
 
Hurd (10-11, 1) suffered the loss after dealing five strikeouts in the first 5.0 innings. Kelsi Anderson (10-11) closed out her collegiate career by fanning four of the nine batters faced through the final 2.0 innings while allowing only one hit. Gannon's Katie Armstrong (6-2) picked up the win after tossing six of the team's seven strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
 
Slippery Rock's bats did not remain cold from its previous loss on the day, as Mansfield launched The Rock out to a 1-0 lead with a solo blast in the bottom of the first inning.
 
A two-RBI single in the top of the second was Gannon's go-ahead response, putting the Golden Knights up, 2-1. The shootout continued in the bottom of the second with an RBI double by Smith to tie the game at 2-2 before an RBI single by Brown sent The Rock back ahead, 3-2.
 
Freeman, a senior who was playing in what became her final game, brought Slippery Rock to the 50-home run precipice in the third inning while doubling The Rock's lead to 4-2.
 
Gannon needed just four at-bats in the top of the fourth to find its tying runs thanks in part to an error and a sacrifice fly. The Golden Knights took control of the 4-4 knot in the top of the fifth with a solo home run of their own, granting Gannon a 5-4 advantage. An RBI double into left center pushed GU's lead out to 6-4 in the top of the sixth.
 
Anderson gave Slippery Rock a chance in the seventh inning when her two last at-bats both became her two final strikeouts, but SRU was unable to put a dent in the two-run gap.
 
With Slippery Rock not being included in any of this year's NCAA Regional Rankings, its exit from the PSAC Tournament marks the end of its 2024 campaign. Head coach Stacey Rice will regroup the team for 2025 after a season that saw numerous team and individual records broken.





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