LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University softball team dropped two one-run games, 5-4 in eight innings and 8-7, in non-conference play Tuesday at Lock Haven University.
With the losses, Slippery Rock falls to 25-15 overall, while Lock Haven improved to 28-20. The two teams' conference records stayed at 19-5 for SRU and 16-8 for LHU.
Slippery Rock was led today by four players who recorded hits in both games of the doubleheader.
Sarah Brown and
Aubrey Mansfield paced SRU as each went 4-for-7 with one run, while Mansfield had three RBIs and Brown added one RBI.
Alyssa Sheely racked up three hits in a 3-for-7 performance with two runs.
Alyssa Massucci was the final Rock batter with hits in both games as the sophomore finished 2-for-6 with two runs and one RBI.
In the midst of an excellent freshman campaign,
Maddie Cavenaugh became the all-time single-season leader for runs in program history with 47. Cavenaugh also walked in each game, extending her on-base game streak to 19 games, which ranks tied for fourth in program history with
Alexsa Hurd (2023) and
Arielle Brown (2024).
GAME 1: Lock Haven 5 – Slippery Rock 4 – 8 innings
W: Faith Persing (6-4)
L: Rachel Baker (14-5)
Lock Haven opened the scoring in game one with one run in the third inning.
Slippery Rock answered with two runs in the top of the fourth. Brown started the rally with a one-out single, followed by walks from Pelles and Cavenaugh as well as a hit-by-pitch from Shall to bring in Brown. After a pitching change, Mansfield drove in
Jordyn Pelles and Cavenaugh to give The Rock a 3-1 advantage.
The Bald Eagles added one run each in the fifth and sixth inning, tying the game 3-3.
SRU re-took the lead in the top of the seventh after Massucci singled and Brown drove her in with a two-out double.
Lock Haven tied the game with two outs in the seventh and finished off the 5-4 victory with a walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth after Slippery Rock failed to score in the top half of the inning.
Offensively, Brown led Slippery Rock after going 3-for-3 with one run and one RBI. Mansfield and Sheely each went 2-for-4, while Mansfield added two RBIs.
Massucci and
Addie Deal picked up one hit each in game one, with Massucci scoring one run.
In the circle,
Rachel Baker (14-5) took the loss after pitching 7.1 innings and surrendering five runs (four runs) on 12 hits and five walks with four strikeouts. Baker's season ERA is now sitting at 2.15 in 123.2 innings pitched.
Faith Persing picked up her sixth win in the season after pitching 4.2 innings and giving up one run on four hits and one walk with two strikeouts.
GAME 2: Lock Haven 8 – Slippery Rock 7
W: Keiva Middleton (5-5)
L: Kayla Williams (3-5)
Lock Haven opened the scoring again in game two with two runs in both the first and second innings, giving the Bald Eagles a 4-0 lead.
Slippery Rock clawed back with four runs in the third inning. Pelles doubled to right field, followed by a one-out two-run home run from
Shaylyn Shall. With two outs in the inning, Sheely was hit by a pitch and Massucci singled, moving Sheely to third base. Brown and
Grace Smith came up with back-to-back RBI singles to drive in Sheely and Massucci, tying the game 4-4.
The Bald Eagles pulled back in front with three runs in fourth inning.
The Rock cut Lock Haven's lead to one with a two-run fifth inning. Mansfield and Sheely began the inning with a single and double, receptively. Massucci drove in Mansfield with a sacrifice fly, followed by an RBI single from Smith.
SRU tied the game in the top of the sixth. Cavenaugh walked and stole second base to begin the inning as Shall walked after the freshman. With two runners on, Mansfield singled to drive in Cavenaugh.
The Bald Eagles re-took the lead for the final time in the bottom of the sixth inning with one run and were able to close out the game in the seventh for an 8-7 win.
At the plate, Mansfield and Smith each had two hits, with Mansfield adding one run and one RBI, while Smith had two RBIs.
Shall, Sheely, Massucci, Brown and Pelles all picked up one hit for SRU in game two. Shall hit her second home run of the season to earn two RBIs and one run, while Massucci and Brown also added RBIs. Cavenaugh, Massucci and Pelles all scored one run for Slippery Rock.
In the circle,
Kayla Williams (3-5) took the loss in game two after pitching in relief of
Paige Gresgott. Williams threw four innings and gave up four runs (one earned) on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Gresgott started for SRU and went two innings, giving up four runs on four hits and three walks with one strikeout.
Keiva Middleton earned the win in game two after pitching 2.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit and two walks with two strikeouts.
Slippery Rock closes out the regular season with two PSAC West doubleheaders. The Rock hits the road to play 2 p.m. Friday at Clarion and 1 p.m. Saturday at Gannon University.
To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on 'X' (formerly Twitter, @Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).
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