Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Shippensburg University softball team split a road doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at West Chester as the Raiders won the season series, 3-1, over the PSAC East rival Golden Rams. SU dropped Game 1 by a score of 4-1 before holding on for a 3-1 victory in Game 2.

Freshman designated player Jessie Trammell paced the Raiders (15-21, 5-7 PSAC East) offensively, going 2-for-6 over the two games and drove in a run in Game 2. Sophomore second baseman Rachel Shumway also drove in a run in the win, while junior right fielder Kiersten Darhower earned an RBI in the opener.

Sophomore pitcher Emily Estep earned her fifth victory of the season in Game 2, pitching four innings and giving up four hits while striking out four. Freshman Makenzie Lynn pitched the final three innings and gave up two hits while fanning two to earn her first save of the year.

Lynn also appeared in the circle in Game 1, pitching one perfect inning of relief for freshman Liz Parkins, who gave up four runs in five innings of work with three strikeouts.

Shippensburg will travel to Lock Haven tomorrow for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.

Note: Shippensburg controls its playoff destiny heading into next weekend's PSAC East doubleheaders. SU is currently in third place, with East Stroudsburg in second place. Both teams have 5-7 divisional records, but the Warriors hold a tiebreaker over the Raiders after winning the season series. If the Raiders can secure a sweep of Millersville on April 21, it would eliminate both West Chester and Millersville from the postseason, as SU now holds the tiebreaker over the Golden Rams and the Marauders would be at least two games behind the Raiders. WCU and MU are currently two games behind the Raiders but both teams only have one PSAC East doubleheader remaining.

Game 1: West Chester 4, Shippensburg 1

Parkins and WCU (24-23, 5-9) pitcher Devon Utterback combined to give up just one hit through the first three innings. The Golden Rams managed to plate four runs in the fourth frame, however, after totaling three hits and two walks.

Trammell broke up Utterback's perfect game bid with a single up the middle in the fifth inning. In the top of the seventh, freshman first baseman Maddie Justice led off with a walk. Trammell followed with a fielder's choice before freshman center fielder Tyler Thompson singled to shortstop and advanced Trammell to second base.

Later, with two outs and runners on first and second, Darhower singled through the left side to score senior pinch runner Chelsea Kendall to close the deficit to 4-1. A strikeout in the next at-bat ended SU's comeback bid.

Game 2: Shippensburg 3, West Chester 1

The Raiders jumped out early in the first inning, scoring two runs on three hits and one WCU error. Senior catcher Meg Lehman doubled to left center field in the second at-bat and advanced to third on a Justice single down the left field line. Trammell then doubled to center field to drive in Lehman – before Justice managed to score on the play on a throwing error from the catcher – for a 2-0 lead.

West Chester cut the deficit in half, down 2-1, with an RBI single two innings later. Shippensburg added another run in the fifth inning, beginning with a Thompson walk to lead off the frame. Lehman advanced Thompson on a sacrifice bunt before Shumway drove the freshman home with a double to left field to push the SU lead to 3-1.

That would be the final run of the game, as Lynn and Utterback – who pitched the final two and two-thirds ininngs in relief for WCU – combined to give up three hits in the final three innings.