SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg University softball team received two dazzling pitching performances on Thursday afternoon from senior Lori Knopf and sophomore Dana Ward and handed No. 9 Kutztown its first divisional loss of the season in a doubleheader split with the Golden Bears at Robb Field. SU won the opener 2-1 but fell 3-1 in Game 2.

Shippensburg (20-14, 8-4 PSAC East) rattled one of the most dominant pitchers in the conference, Golden Bear junior Katlin Arbogast. The Lady Raiders smacked eight hits in the opener - the most in 29 starts this season against the PSAC's strikeout leader - including an RBI-single from junior Lisamarie Ramagli in the bottom of the first.

Knopf, however, was the most-valuable player in the opener - holding Kutztown to one run or less for just the fourth time this season while spinning a four-hitter and striking out nine in her 12th complete game. She also smacked the game-winning home run in the bottom of the fifth to guarantee the Lady Raider victory.

In the second game, Ward totaled the most strikeouts from the circle for Shippensburg since All-American Kelley Tiesi '06 struck out 15 on May 4, 2006 against Lock Haven. She only made one mistake on the afternoon, but that pitch was deposited over the center-field fence in the fifth inning by Ashley Fitzgerald for a three-run home run.

Kutztown (36-7-1, 11-1 PSAC East), a squad that struck out 22 times over the course of the doubleheader, was frustrated by the excellent pitching of Ward. Her changes of speed led to a season-high in strikeouts for the Golden Bears and at one point the sophomore pitcher struck out six consecutive batters and 9-of-10 before the fifth inning.

Sophomore Hope Cornell had a phenomenal day at the plate, finishing the doubleheader 4-for-5 with a double and a walk. Senior Rachelle Wedell had three hits and scored the first run of the day while sophomore Courtney Steele singled home the lone SU run of the second game.

Overall, the Lady Raiders totaled 14 hits at the plate, allowed just three extra-base hits from the circle and did not commit an error in the two games against a squad that on the season had compiled a 1.53 ERA and scored 234 runs entering Thursday. Shippensburg is now four games ahead of third-place East Stroudsburg in the division.

Shippensburg will return to action against Millersville on Senior Day at 2:30 p.m. this Tuesday from Robb Field.