SALISBURY, N.C. - Freshman #Courtney Steele# smacked hits in all four of her plate appearances to lead a 15-hit attack for the Shippensburg University softball team on Sunday afternoon as the Lady Raiders concluded competition at the Catawba Invitational with a 10-3 victory over Belmont Abbey at Salisbury Community Park.

Shippensburg (3-2) trailed 1-0 after two innings, but sent 10 batters to the plate in the top of the third where it totaled five runs.

With senior Amanda Bardo on third base and junior Lori Knopf on first with one out, freshman Hope Cornell clubbed a double off the base of the left field fence that scored Bardo to begin the rally.

After Cornell's double, Steele delivered her second single in two at-bats to score Knopf. Sophomore #Lisamarie Ramagli# followed with her third double of the season to score Cornell and junior Rachelle Wedell cracked a double into left center that plated Steele and Ramagli.

The Crusaders (3-17) scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning on a single to left field to bring the score to 5-3 after three, but a four-run top of the fifth inning sealed the Lady Raiders' third victory of the season.

Steele led off the fifth by pelting a ball into the gap in right center for a double before Ramagli advanced freshman Maggie Sander, who was pinch-running for Steele, to third with a ground out. Wedell plated Sander with a sacrifice fly, but Shippensburg continued its momentum by scoring three more runs despite the bases being empty with two outs.

Senior #Liz Good# beat out a single to the shortstop and freshman Jill Mullan followed with a shot up the middle to put runners at first and second.

Senior #Sarah Stengl# then hit a single up the middle that scored Good and Bardo followed with a two-run double that screamed off the centerfield fence.

Steele finished the day 4-for-4 with two RBIs by clobbering a line drive in the sixth inning that sailed over the centerfield fence for her first home run of the season. She ended the day just a triple away from the cycle.

Wedell was 2-for-3 with a team-high three RBIs while each Lady Raider starter finished the day with at least one hit.

Knopf started in the circle for Shippensburg and went the distance for her first victory of the season, scattering seven hits while striking out four. She finished the three-day stretch in North Carolina with eight hits and two RBIs at the plate along with one win and one save inside the circle.

Cornell and Steele have combined for 21 total bases through five games while Bardo has drawn four walks and delivered four RBIs through five games.

Shippensburg will return home for three days before travelling to Kissimmee, Florida during Spring Break where the team will play 13 games in six days. They will begin the trip with a doubleheader against Queens (N.Y.) on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

- Lady Raider Softball -