SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University softball team got 13 hits from its five seniors on Saturday afternoon in addition to complete-game pitching performances from junior
Chelsea Kendall and freshman
Emily Estep to sweep PSAC East rival East Stroudsburg, 5-2 and 8-2.
Shippensburg (22-8, 8-0 PSAC East) finished the first half of its divisional schedule by sweeping all four opponents from the PSAC Eastern Division. The Raiders fell behind in both games of Saturday's doubleheader but rallied for the victories – marking the fifth time in eight PSAC East games that SU has trailed.
Senior
Jill Mullan continues to set the table at the top of the order. Mullan had two hits in both games on Saturday and scored three runs. From the No. 2 spot in the order, senior
Dana Ward scored one run and provided one hit in each game.
Senior
Courtney Steele totaled three RBIs in the opener – doubling home two runs in the fourth inning and singling home an insurance run in the sixth. Junior
Meg Lehman drove in a run with a single and SU scored another run on an error.
Kendall gave up single runs in the first and fourth innings but settled down to retire eight of the final nine batters she faced and record her eighth complete game of the season. She allowed just two extra-base hits and struck out five batters to improve her record to 7-5.
In Game 2, SU trailed by two runs before a clutch two-out changed the momentum of the game. With sophomore
Jenn Deardorff on third base and Mullan on second, senior
Moira Johnsen crushed the first pitch she saw over the left-field fence for a three-run home run. Steele doubled home another run before the inning was over to put SU up by two.
The backbreaker came in the fourth inning. With two outs, senior
Hope Cornell fouled off a couple of pitches before sending a fastball over the center-field fence for a grand slam . It was the 10th home run of the season for Cornell and her third grand slam.
Estep struck out 10 batters to improve her record to 11-2. It is the fourth time this season that she has recorded at least 10 strikeouts in a game.
Shippensburg will hit the road Tuesday for a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader at West Chester.
