CLERMONT, Fla. – A 3-2 extra-innings win over the University of Sioux Falls Sunday in Florida served as head coach Stacey Rice's 185^th all-time win at the helm of the Slippery Rock University softball team, setting a new program record. SRU dropped game two on the day to Minnesota State University, 8-0.
 
The split moves The Rock's overall record to 3-5. SRU's second day of The Spring Games saw a pair of opponents out of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – The Sioux Falls Cougars fell to 12-9 on the year, while the Minnesota State Mavericks improved to 9-8.
 
Alexsa Hurd (2-1, 1) dominated the circle in game one, throwing 14 strikeouts and walking just three batters in the eight-inning showdown. Her performance marks just the sixth recorded time in Rock softball history in which a pitcher fanned at least 14 batters. Hurd set the school record last year with 16 strikeouts in a single game at Clarion.
 
Paige Gresgott (0-3) got the game two start and recorded one strikeout in 1.2 innings before Alexa Uphold (1-0) piloted the circle with one strikeout in 2.0 innings and Mackenzie Borkovich logged one K in the final 1.1 frames.
 
Naomi Childs (2-for-2) and Julia Montie (2-for-6) led Slippery Rock's offense throughout the day. Arielle Brown went 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Hurd (1-for-6) and Sarah Brown (1-for-1) rounded out The Rock's batting.
 
GAME ONE – Slippery Rock 3, Sioux Falls 2 (8 innings)
Slippery Rock earned its first win of The Spring Games with a 3-2 decision over Sioux Falls that required eight innings.
 
SRU's first hit of the game accounted for its first lead as well. Arielle Brown knocked a double into left field to plate Childs, who had previously been walked, to take a 1-0 lead into the fourth.
 
The Rock doubled their lead to 2-0 in the top of the fifth when Childs got on base again, this time with a single up the middle. Jessica Goldhardt and Arielle Brown were both walked to load the bases, and an Emma Kennedy walk earned her an RBI as Childs brought the scoring run to the plate.
 
The Cougars responded in the bottom half of the fifth when an RBI-double and a fielding error rewarded back-to-back runs that tied the game at 2-2. Neither team could muster any more runs in the sixth or seventh inning, sending Slippery Rock to extra innings for the second time this season.
 
Hurd got the eighth going with an RBI-single to left-centerfield that scored Jeanna Sukey, who pinch ran for Kennedy placed at second. Hurd was able to get all the way to third, but The Rock had to settle for a 3-2 lead. A sac-bunt got Sioux Falls' runner to third, but a strikeout and groundout solidified Slippery Rock's nail-biting victory.
 
Hurd's (2-1, 1) 14^th and final strikeout came in the bottom of the eighth, sealing the deal for her second win of the year. Montie (2-for-4) and Childs (2-for-2) led SRU at the plate with Arielle Brown (1-for-3, 1 2B) and Hurd (1-for-4) each chipping in with a hit.
 
Maddi Duncan (7-4) recorded the loss for USF despite 10 strikeouts in the eight-inning appearance. Taryn Wagner (2-for-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI) and Hannah Raethz (2-for-4) served as Sioux Falls' top batters.
 
SRU logged six hits, one error and left seven on base, while Sioux Falls came away with five hits, two errors and eight left on. The win for Slippery Rock marked the program's first victory against Sioux Falls in school history.
 
GAME TWO – Minnesota State 8, Slippery Rock 0 (5 innings)
Slippery Rock's first meeting with Minnesota State in nine years resulted in a 8-0 loss that was decided in five innings.
 
The Mavericks jumped out to a 4-0 lead with four hits in a second inning that saw a sac-fly, a two-RBI-single and an RBI-double. MSU opened its advantage up to 6-0 in the third inning, scoring each run on a separate error and piling on two more hits.
 
Slippery Rock's lone hit of the game came off the bat of Sarah Brown in the bottom of the third – a single down the right-field line – but The Rock were unable to bring her to the plate. The Mavericks extended their lead to 8-0 in the fourth with two extra hits including a two-RBI double deep into left field.
 
While SRU was deemed the home team of the contest causing the entirety of the fifth inning to be played out, no one else from The Rock could get on base.
 
Sarah Brown finished the game batting 1-for-1 with her hit. Gresgott (0-3) was the pitcher of record after throwing one strikeout in the opening 1.2 innings. Uphold saw 2.0 innings with one strikeout before Borkovich closed out the game with one strikeout in the final 1.1 innings pitched.
 
Despite the loss, Slippery Rock was only struck out twice as a team. Those punchouts came from Sailor Hall (4-2), who pitched the complete game for Minnesota State. Finley Anderson led the Mavericks by hitting 2-for-2 with two doubles and one RBI. Ryanne Mellum drove three runs in, batting 1-for-2 with a double.
 
While Slippery Rock recorded one hit, two errors and one left on base, Minnesota State racked up eight hits while committing no errors and leaving six runners stranded.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock will begin its third day of action in Florida by playing Southwest Minnesota State University, its final NSIC opponent of The Spring Games, 9 a.m. tomorrow. The Rock will then face the Great Midwest Athletic Conference's Hillsdale College out of Michigan at roughly 11:15 a.m.





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