WINTER HAVEN, Fla. –  The Slippery Rock University softball team ends its time at THE Spring Games after another split that included a 9-4 win over Wheeling University and a 10-2 defeat to Eckerd College Wednesday at the DiamondPlex.

The Rock leave THE Spring Games with a 5-3 record, it best record to open a season since the 2018 campaign when they started the season 7-2. Wheeling fell 1-6 after its loss to SRU and Eckerd improved to 14-4 record after its winning.

In the first game of the day, the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. The Rock immediately responded with a four-run second inning. Maddie Cavenaugh hit a three-run home run to score Paige Parker and Addie Warzala. Later in the inning Sydney Brown notched an RBI-walk to score Shaylyn Shall.

Cavenaugh again added another RBI to her ledger with run-scoring single that brought in Jessica Goldhardt. Cavenaugh then stole second base and later scored on a RBI-single from Shall.

Brown made it 7-1 in the fourth inning with an RBI-double that scored Alyssa Massucci. Wheeling cut The Rock's lead to three runs (7-4) in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Slippery Rock added two insurance runs in the seventh inning with a Goldhardt sac bunt to score Gabby Perod and RBI-single from Shall.

Cavenaugh ended game one going 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs. Shall also collected up multiple hits for The Rock with a 3-for-4 performance with two RBIs, one run and one walk.

Brown earned two RBIs with her 1-for-3 showing with a walk as well. Perod picked up Slippery Rock's final hit of the game in her pinch-hit at-bat in the seven inning.

Paige Gresgott, who came on for The Rock in the bottom of the sixth inning and picked up the final six outs.

Rachel Baker (4-0) picked up the win, her fourth in as many starts, while going five innings and giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and six walks. Baker also struck out six Cardinals. Gresgott earned the two-inning save, while only surrendering one hit and striking out two batters. This was Gresgott's first save of the season.

Ryleigh Peters (0-3) took the loss for Wheeling after pitching 2.2 innings and giving up six runs (five earned), while walking five batters and striking out two.

SRU was stopped in its tracks by a red-hot Eckerd squad in game two as the Tritons entered the matchup on a 10-game win streak.

Eckerd scored the first eight runs of the game before Sheely drove in The Rock's two runs with a two-RBI double in the fourth inning to score in Massucci and Aubrey Mansfield.

The Tritons tacked on two runs in the sixth inning to close out a 10-2 victory.

Mansfield (1-for-2 with a walk), Sheely (1-for-3) and Kayla Williams (1-for-2) picked up hits for SRU against Eckerd.

Williams (1-2) took the loss for SRU, while pitching 1.1 innings and giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks.

Brandilyn Reymer (8-2) earned the win in hte circle for the Tritons, going six innings and giving up two unearned runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out eight batters.

Slippery Rock returns to Pennsylvania for its home-opener against West Liberty University Saturday at Kasnevich Field. The Rock and the Hilltoppers will play a doubleheader with the first pitch of game one scheduled for 1 p.m.



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