The Shippensburg University softball team achieved a doubleheader sweep over the Bloomsburg Huskies in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division match-up on Wednesday afternoon. The Raiders defeated the Huskies 2-1 in Game 1 in the eighth inning, and secured a 5-3 victory in Game 2, thanks to a three-run home run by freshman Lindsey Haser.
Game 1:
Despite trailing for the first five innings, Shippensburg (12-7, 6-2 PSAC East) made a comeback in the sixth inning, with a solo home run by graduate Hannah Marsteller that tied the game. The Raiders held the reigning PSAC Eastern Division Pitcher of the Week, Callie Sowers, to only four strikeouts, while junior Maelynn Leber and senior Emma Flattery combined to only allow one run in eight innings. In the bottom of the eighth inning, junior Morgan Lindsay hit a sacrifice fly to left field, bringing home Taylor Myers and sealing the 2-1 victory for the Raiders.
Game 2:
Shippensburg never trailed in Game 2, thanks to a three-run line drive home run by Lindsey Haser in the bottom of the second inning. The Raiders extended their lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, with Caitlin Martell scoring on a wild pitch. Despite a solo home run by Bloomsburg’s Emma Little in the top of the sixth inning, the Raiders answered in the bottom of the inning with a sacrifice fly by Martell, bringing home Emma Mackulin for a 5-2 lead. Bloomsburg scored one more run in the top of the seventh inning, but Flattery induced a fly out and a pop up to secure the 5-3 victory for the Raiders.
Notable Performances:
Eight of the twelve different Raiders had at least one hit in Game 2, with Lindsey Haser leading the team with three RBIs and two hits. Caitlin Martell contributed two hits, including a double, and an RBI, and her defence at shortstop helped the Raiders prevent hits and runs from Bloomsburg. Junior Taylor Myers had three hits, and graduate Hannah Marsteller had two hits and drew three walks. In addition, Maelynn Leber started as the pitcher and also had two hits.
The Raiders travel to Millersville for a PSAC doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. to finish the week.
