SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University softball team rode a complete-game shutout from senior pitcher Emily Estep for a 5-0 opening win in Saturday afternoon's home Senior Day doubleheader vs. Lock Haven before the Raiders dropped a dramatic 8-6 nine-inning affair in the nightcap from Robb Field.
 
Shippensburg (29-13, 15-11 PSAC East) collected 23 hits on the day, with 16 courtesy of junior center fielder Tyler Thompson, junior shortstop Taylor Weisman and sophomore right fielder Taylor Pattillo.
 
Thompson went 6-for-8 on the day with three stolen bases and three RBIs, Weisman was 5-for-8 with a solo home run, three RBIs and three runs and Pattillo was 5-for-8 with three runs scored and an RBI. Thompson and Weisman each batted 4-for-5 in Game 2.
 
Estep allowed just four hits in the opener with eight strikeouts for her 19^th win of the season. Estep threw 180 pitches on the day – 137 in Game 1 and 43 in two innings of relief in Game 2. Included in her Game 1 total was a 43-pitch fourth inning in which she struck out the final batter swinging to strand the bases loaded.
 
Junior Makenzie Lynn went seven innings in Game 2 and allowed eight hits and five runs for the no-decision.
 
The Raiders host East Stroudsburg tomorrow in a 1 p.m. regular-season finale PSAC East doubleheader from Robb Field. West Chester (19-9 division record) has clinched the No. 1 seed in the East for next week's PSAC Championships while Shippensburg (15-11), Bloomsburg (16-10) and Mansfield (15-11) will round out the East qualifiers in some order as the No. 2, 3 and 4 seeds are yet to be determined between the three teams.
 
Game 1: Shippensburg 5, Lock Haven 0
 
SU opened up the day's scoring in the second inning when Weisman hit a lead-off home run to left-center. SU then added three key runs on three hits in the fourth inning, beginning with a Pattillo leadoff double to right. Junior designated player Jessie Trammell singled home a run two batters later before scoring from second on a Thompson single and a fielding error, followed by an RBI groundout by senior second baseman Rachel Shumway to make the score 4-0.
 
Pattillo drove in the fifth Raider run with two outs in the fifth inning when she doubled to right field to score sophomore pinch runner Julie Cramer.
 
Game 2: Lock Haven 8, Shippensburg 6
 
Thompson drove in SU's first run of the game with an RBI single in the second but SU found itself down 5-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth. The Raiders loaded the bases with zero outs in the sixth with a single to right, a walk and an infield single, but only managed to plate one with a fielder's choice RBI off the bat of sophomore catcher Taylor Llewellyn.
 
The Raiders continued their comeback facing a three-run deficit heading into the bottom of the seventh when they again loaded the bases with zero outs. Weisman singled to left field to drive in a run before Thompson singled to center with one out to make the score 5-4. With two outs, Lynn moved up from her flex position to pinch hit in the No. 9 hole, where she brought home the tying run with a five-pitch walk.
 
Shippensburg matched a Lock Haven run in the top of the eighth with one of its own in the bottom half after back-to-back two-out doubles by Pattillo and Weisman, who recorded the game-tying RBI on a full-count pitch.
 
The Bald Eagles scored the eventual winning runs in the top of the ninth.