Box Score vs. Ky. Wesleyan

Box Score vs. Lake Erie

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The Shippensburg University softball team finished an exciting Florida road trip by capitalizing on some shoddy defense from the opposition with an 11-3 victory in six innings over Lake Erie College that gave the Lady Raiders six victories over a 10-game stretch at the 2009 Rebel Spring Games.

Shippensburg (8-6) scored 65 runs while in Florida, including four round trippers from sophomore shortstop Hope Cornell. The team has raised its batting average above .300 for the season and has scored at least four runs in six of its last seven games.

Against Lake Erie, the Lady Raiders raced out to a 4-0 lead in the third inning on a single from freshman Meg Lehman that led to an unearned run, followed by a three-run rocket from Cornell that sailed over the fence to score senior Chelsea Carson and sophomore Jill Mullan.

After the Storm had crept within one run, Shippensburg plated seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to win via the mercy rule. Junior Lisamarie Ramagli singled home sophomore pinch runner Maggie Sander for the inning's first run, but two Lake Erie fielding errors sandwiched two flyouts that led to another run and two runners in scoring position.

Leading 6-3, Mullan singled through the right side to score sophomores Marissa Nagle and Dana Ward, and Carson followed with a single and advanced to second on the throw. Cornell smacked a two-run single to score both runners and then ended the game by coming all the way around to score after the opposing pitcher threw the ball into right field.

Ward locked in a pitcher's duel in the day's opener against Kentucky Wesleyan's Haleigh Ashworth. Ward scattered four hits in 3.2 innings, striking out four batters and allowing just one run. Senior Lori Knopf allowed one run over the final 2.1 innings, while Ashworth went the distance for the Panthers and struck out six in seven innings to guide Kentucky Wesleyan to a 2-1 victory.

The Lady Raiders will hit the road for another trip next weekend, traveling to Glenville, West Virginia for five games from March 13 through March 15.