SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Junior Liz Parkins smacked an opposite-field home run to lead off the seventh inning Saturday and senior Emily Estep spun a one-hitter to advance the No. 22 Shippensburg University softball team through the winner's bracket of the 2014 NCAA Atlantic Region 2 Tournament, as the Raiders defeated West Virginia Wesleyan, 1-0, at Robb Field.
 
Shippensburg (36-15) will play West Virginia Wesleyan (42-13) at noon Sunday in Game 6 of the regional. A win would advance the Raiders to the Atlantic Region Championship series next weekend, while a loss would result in an immediate re-match Sunday with the Bobcats to determine the Atlantic Region 2 champion.
 
The Atlantic Region 1 site has been slowed by rain and inclement weather and still has three teams remaining. Bloomsburg will play California (Pa.), the host, to begin play Sunday. The winner will then face West Chester. If the Golden Rams lose Game 6, then a Game 7 re-match would occur to determine the Atlantic Region 1 champion.
 
Saturday was a battle in the circle between Estep and Bobcat starter Jessica Griffin. SU had plenty of scoring chances, leaving seven on base through the first six innings, while WVW managed just a two-out double in the fourth and a hit batsman in the sixth.
 
In the seventh, Parkins worked the count full in her decisive at-bat. On the seventh pitch, she scorched a liner that sailed over the left-field fence for her third home run of both the season and her career. Parkins, who also drew two walks and reached base in all three of her plate appearances, is batting a team-best .471 (8-for-17) since the start of the PSAC Tournament.
 
The run was enough support for Estep, who was again brilliant in the circle. She struck out four of the first eight batters she faced and recorded her fifth and final punch-out of the contest on the final out. Spanning back to yesterday's game versus IUP, Estep did not allow a hit over her first 11.2 innings of work in the regional tournament.
 
The SU senior improved to 25-3 for the season, tying her for the fourth-most wins in SU single-season history, while her 207 strikeouts are four short of third place in single-season history. She now has nine shutouts this season – one more than her career total entering 2014.
 
In 14 innings at this weekend's regional tournament, Estep has allowed one hit and just five total base-runners.
 
The Raiders managed six hits and six walks off Griffin (11-5), as sophomore Briana Giovenco was 2-for-3 with a walk and senior Hilary Lyons had a pair of singles. Junior Tyler Thompson hit a double in the fourth and senior Kirstin McClune singled following Parkins' home run.
 
Lyons also had a stolen base in Saturday's game, giving her 30 for the season. She is one stolen base shy of tying Thompson's single-season record of 31 set a year ago and is now in sole possession of second place on SU's all-time list with 54.
 
SU's two victories in this year's regional are its most in a NCAA Tournament since finishing third in 2006 (2-2).