EDINBORO, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University softball team recorded a doubleheader sweep at Edinboro Sunday in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division competition.
 
SRU recorded an 11-2 victory in five innings to start the day before closing out the sweep with a 9-6 win in game two.
 
With the sweep, Slippery Rock improved to 20-10 overall and 14-2 inside the PSAC West, keeping sole possession of first place in the divisional standings. The Rock has now reached the 20-win mark in just 30 games, the fastest a SRU softball team has hit that milestone since the 2005 season.
 
The doubleheader sweep also pushed The Rock's winning streak to 10 games, which is tied for the second longest streak in program history. Slippery Rock exits the weekend just three wins away from tying the 2011 team for the longest winning streak in program history.
 
Edinboro's record dropped to 4-27 and 3-13 in the PSAC West with the losses.

Slippery Rock was led by five players who all had hits in both games of the doubleheader. Maddie Cavenaugh paced SRU with a 6-for-7 performance with five runs, three home runs, four RBIs, two stolen bases and one walk. Cavenaugh's excellent doubleheader Sunday is just the latest of a number of outstanding performances as the freshman is now batting .490 (51-for-104) with 37 runs, 40 RBIs, 22 extra base hits, 13 walks and 14 stolen bases. Cavenaugh has hit 11 home runs, eight doubles and three triples on the season, good for a .942 slugging percentage and a 1.480 OPS.

Alyssa Sheely finished 4-for-8 with one run and five RBIs. Aubrey Mansfield and Alyssa Massucci each grabbed three hits as Mansfield went 3-for-6 with two RBIs two walks and two stolen bases, while Massucci ended the day 3-for-8 with one run and one walk.
 
Kayla Williams rounded out Rock batters with hits in both games after going 2-for-3 with one run.

GAME 1: Slippery Rock 11 – Edinboro 2 – 5 innings
W: Rachel Baker (11-3)
L: Kelsey Warren (1-8)

Slippery Rock opened the scoring in the first inning after Cavenaugh hit a leadoff home run for the second game in a row. The Rock added four runs in the second inning after Sheely and Mansfield grabbed RBI-singles, while Jordyn Pelles picked up an RBI with a fielder's choice.

SRU tagged on six more run ins the fourth inning, highlighted by Cavenaugh's second home run of the game and RBI base hits from Sheely, Addie Deal, and Gabby Perod.

Edinboro scored one run in the fourth and fifth innings, but it wasn't enough as Slippery Rock picked up the 11-2 victory in five innings.

Offensively, Cavenaugh had three hits for SRU after going 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs off her pair of home runs. Sheely and Massucci each had two hits in game one. The pair each had one run and Sheely added four RBIs.

Mansfield, Williams, Perod, Shaylyn Shall, Addie Deal and Brooke Tatar all picked up one hit in game one, while Pelles, Mansfield and Deal added RBIs.

In the circle, Rachel Baker earned her 11^th win of the season with her 11^th complete game of the season, including her eighth in a row. Baker pitched all five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts. The freshman has earned the victory in five consecutive starts.

Kelsey Warren took the loss for Edinboro in game one after pitching 1.1 innings and giving up four runs on four hits and two walks with one strikeout.

GAME 2: Slippery Rock 9 – Edinboro 6
W: Kayla Williams (3-4)
L: Gianna Ficcaglia (2-10)

Similar to game one, Slippery Rock struck first in the opening inning. Cavenaugh led off the game with a single and a stolen base, followed by an RBI-double from Pelles.

Edinboro responded in the bottom half of the inning with one run of its own.

SRU once again took the lead with three runs in the top of the second. Addie Warzala and Paige Parker kicked off the inning with back-to-back singles, followed by a one-out single by Cavenaugh that drove in Warzala.

With runners on the corners, Cavenaugh stole second, putting two runners in scoring position. Pelles then grounded out, bringing Parker into score and moving Cavenaugh to third base. With a chance to end the inning, the Fighting Scots committed an error on a ground ball from Mansfield, giving SRU a 4-1 lead.

In the top of the third inning, Massucci, Warzala and Sydney Brown all singled as Warzala drove in Massucci, giving The Rock a 5-1 advantage.

Later in the third inning, Edinboro tied the game, 5-5, with a four-run outburst.

Slippery Rock re-took the lead in the fifth inning. Williams singled, followed by a Cavenaugh walk and a Pelles single, scoring Williams and giving SRU a 6-5 edge.

The back-and-forth affair continued as the Fighting Scots with one run in the bottom of the fifth.

With the game tied 6-6 and two outs in the seventh inning, Cavenaugh put The Rock ahead with a solo home run, her third long ball of the day and 11^th of the season, put SRU in front for good. A single from Pelles, followed by an RBI-triple from Mansfield and an RBI-single from Sheely added two insurance runs.

Williams then shut the game down with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, closing up a 9-6 victory for SRU.

At the plate, Slippery Rock put up 17 hits, the third highest amount for The Rock this season. Pelles paced SRU in game two with a 4-for-5 performance with one run three RBIs and one stolen base, while Cavenaugh finished the game 3-for-4 with three runs, one home run, two RBIs, two stolen bases and one walk.

Mansfield, Sheely and Warzala all racked up two hits and RBIs in game two. Mansfield and Warzala each went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI, while Sheely finished 2-for-5 with one RBI.

Williams, Parker, Massucci and Brown each picked up one hit and one run scored for Slippery Rock.

In the circle, Williams picked up the win after pitching 4.2 innings in relief of Paige Gresgott. Williams surrendered just one run on one hit with three strikeouts.

Gresgott started the game and pitched 2.1 innings, giving up five runs on four hits and two walks.

Gianna Ficcaglia was handed the loss in game two after giving up four runs on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts in 3.2 innings.

SRU continues PSAC West play next week with two conference doubleheaders, both on the road. The Rock begin the week with a twibill 2 p.m. April 17 at Pitt-Johnstown and they end the week with a set 1 p.m. at Indiana University (Pa.).




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