LEESBURG, Fla. – The Slippery Rock University softball team lost a 9-6 shootout to Southwest Minnesota State University before falling to Hillsdale College 7-1 Monday at the Sleepy Hollow Complex. The games were moved to Leesburg after inclement weather in Clermont, Florida disrupted the morning's original schedule.
 
The Rock fall to 3-7 on the season, now halfway through their time at The Spring Games. The Southwest Minnesota State Stallions, which play in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, claimed their 13^th straight victory and improved to 14-7. The Great Midwest Athletic Conference's Hillsdale Chargers moved to 9-7 on the year.
 
True freshman Shaylyn Shall was the star of the day, batting a combined .714 (5-for-7) with one double, two RBI and two runs. Julia Nutter (2-for-6, 1 run) and Aubrey Mansfield (2-for-7, 1 RBI, 1 run) provided steady hitting, while Julia Montie logged a double, an RBI and two runs in a 2-for-7 effort.
 
Sydney Brown (1-for-1, 2 RBI), Emma Kennedy (1-for-4) and Arielle Brown (1-for-6) rounded out SRU's offense. Alyssa Sheely also tacked on a run.
 
Paige Gresgott (0-4) suffered the game one loss and threw six strikeouts in the opening 5.1 innings before Alexa Uphold took over for the final two outs.
 
Alexsa Hurd (2-2, 1) dropped game two in the circle, fanning four batters in the first 3.2 innings. Kayla Williams recorded a strikeout in 1.1 innings before Mackenzie Borkovich closed out the final 2.0 frames of the game while allowing no hits.
 
GAME ONE – Southwest Minnesota State 9, Slippery Rock 6
Slippery Rock rallied from a three-run deficit in the fifth inning to reclaim the lead but couldn't hold on in a 9-6 loss to Southwest Minnesota State.
 
SRU took a second-inning lead thanks to two errors and Shall's first hit of the day. The Stallions stormed back in the bottom of the third and took a 3-1 lead with three hits – a single down the right-field line and two infield singles – as well as three errors. The Rock were able to stop the bleeding by leaving all three bases loaded.
 
Two hits and an additional error from SRU granted Southwest Minnesota State a 4-1 advantage in the fourth inning, but SRU snatched the lead back with a four-run inning of its own in the top of the fifth.
 
Shall brought both Mansfield and Montie to the plate on a two-RBI single into right field to get two runs back. Pinch-hitter Sydney Brown punched a single up the middle to bring Shall and Sheely into home, giving The Rock a 5-4 edge. SRU increased its lead to 6-4 in the top of the sixth courtesy of a Montie double followed up by a Mansfield RBI-single.
 
The Stallions continued to pressure Slippery Rock's infield, which committed two more errors and gave up four hits in the bottom of the sixth to hand the lead back to SMSU. The Stallions batted around and scored five runs with three singles and a triple into deep right-center to declare a 9-6 lead that wound up holding through to the game's conclusion.
 
Shall led Slippery Rock offensively by hitting 3-for-4 (2 RBI, 2 runs), while Montie (1-for-4, 2 runs) contributed a double. Mansfield went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run, and Sydney Brown ended the day 1-for-1 with two RBI. Gresgott (0-4) retired six batters in 5.1 innings before Uphold saw out the final six batters in 0.2 innings.
 
Riley Kramolisch and Abby Boxrud both went 3-for-5 for Southwest Minnesota State, while Paris Van Dyke (1-for-3, 3 RBI) registered the triple. Karlie Miller got the start and struck two batters out in 4.2 innings, but the win went to Jordyn Marsh (5-2), who tossed two Ks in the final 2.1 innings.
 
Southwest Minnesota State outhit Slippery Rock 11-7. SRU totaled six errors and left eight runners on, while the Stallions piled up four errors and stranded 11.
 
GAME TWO – Hillsdale 7, Slippery Rock 1
Slippery Rock was downed in its second game of the day by Hillsdale, 7-1, despite outhitting the Chargers, 7-6.
 
Hillsdale scored in each of the first five innings including a three-run output in the second on two hits that gave the Chargers a 4-0 lead. Hillsdale scored on an error in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead, but Slippery Rock got one back to cut the difference to 5-1 in the same inning when Montie put the ball in play with bases loaded to score Nutter.
 
A run in each the fourth and fifth innings gave Hillsdale a 7-1 advantage that remained true through seven columns. SRU's best opportunity to respond came in the bottom of the fifth when Jeanna Sukey reached on a throwing error from third base and Montie singled to the shortstop, but both were left on. The game did not see a hit in the final two innings.
 
Shall went 2-for-3 with a double, as Nutter got both of her hits in the day in game two by also going 2-for-3 at the plate. Arielle Brown (1-for-4), Kennedy (1-for-3) and Montie (1-for-3, 1 RBI) each chipped in with a hit.
 
Hurd (2-2, 1) noted the loss after four strikeouts in the first 3.2 innings. Williams piloted the circle for the next 1.1 innings with one strikeout – the first of her career – before Borkovich closed the game's final 2.0 innings with no hits from the opponents.
 
Mackenzi Maxson (3-3) pitched the complete game for Hillsdale but did not strike anyone out, allowing just one walk while facing 28 batters. The Chargers' six hits came from six different players including two doubles from Maggie Olaveson (1-for-3, 1 RBI) and Lauren Liguori (1-for-3, 1 RBI).
 
SRU concluded the game with three errors as opposed to Hillsdale's one. The Rock left five runners on base, while Hillsdale deserted twice as many with 10 left on.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock will enjoy a day off in Florida before returning to the Legends Way Complex in Clermont 9 a.m. March 12. The Rock will begin the day by playing Ohio Dominican University. SRU will then see the University of Findlay at approximately 11:15 a.m.





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