Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

WEST CHESTER, Pa. - The Shippensburg University softball team exploded for 16 runs and 24 hits in a doubleheader sweep on Sunday afternoon from West Chester to win all four games of the season series against the Golden Rams, a squad who entered the week ranked at No. 5 in the regional poll.

Shippensburg (19-13, 7-3 PSAC East) had its highest scoring output in a conference doubleheader since 2007 to take a firm hold of second place in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Lady Raiders are now three games ahead of third-place East Stroudsburg, a squad that Shippensburg swept at home last weekend.

Six players had multiple hits in the opening game, including three each from senior catcher Rachelle Wedell and junior Lisamarie Ramagli. Sophomore Jill Mullan, senior Lori Knopf, freshman Abby Block and senior Chelsea Carson each had two hits while four players had multiple runs and multiple RBIs.

The Lady Raiders got on the board with two runs in the first inning. Wedell doubled and later scored on an RBI-single by Ramagli. Sophomore Courtney Steele, who walked three times in the game, came around to score on an RBI-double by Knopf that gave Shippensburg the lead.

Trailing 3-2 in the top of the second, the Lady Raiders scored two more runs with an RBI-double from Mullan and an RBI-single from Wedell. The Golden Rams countered with two more runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 5-4 lead, the the top of the fourth inning proved to be the decisive frame of the first game.

With one out in the fourth, Carson singled and then immediately came around to score on an RBI-triple from Mullan. Wedell then singled home Mullan, and after a walk to Steele with two outs, Ramagli brought home another run with a single into right-center field. Knopf singled home Steele to wrap up a four-run inning that gave Shippensburg an 8-5 advantage.

An insurance run in the fifth inning on an error helped Shippensburg to its most runs in a conference victory since April 11, 2007. Knopf did not have a day to write home about in the pitching circle but did record her career-high 11th victory of the season with another complete-game effort.  

Shippensburg took a 3-0 lead after the first inning of Game 2 and never looked back, leading by seven runs after the top of the fourth. The Lady Raiders loaded the bases with no outs and plated runs on an RBI-single from Steele and bases-loaded walks by Ramagli and sophomore Dana Ward.

Steele parked a two-run home run over the left-center field fence in the second inning to put Shippensburg up by five, and sophomore Moira Johnsen clobbered an RBI-double in the third inning to plate Ward. Knopf hit an RBI-single in the fourth that scored sophomore Hope Cornell to give the Lady Raiders a commanding lead.

Separate two-run doubles in the bottom of the fourth inning got West Chester within three runs, but Ward settled down to pitch another complete game and earn her second victory of the season. Ward struck out seven batters in seven innings while retiring nine of the final 10 batters she faced.
 
Overall, Wedell was 4-for-7 in the doubleheader with two RBIs and three runs, while Knopf, Ramagli, Steele finished the day with three hits and three RBIs. Mullan had three hits, two RBIs and scored four runs and every Lady Raider who had at least one plate appearance finished the afternoon with a hit.

Shippensburg's scheduled doubleheader at Clarion on Tuesday has been canceled, so the next action for the Lady Raiders will be on Friday when they host PSAC Eastern Division leader Kutztown from Robb Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.