The Shippensburg University softball team continued its early-season hot hitting Saturday by defeating West Liberty, 9-5, before falling to unbeaten New Haven, 5-2, in the Raiders' second game Saturday in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
 
Shippensburg (3-2) has now scored 37 runs in five games this season after it took the Raiders 11 games in 2015 to reach the same number. SU totaled 14 hits across the two games Saturday, including three for extra bases.
 
Senior Briana Giovenco had two of those three extra-base hits, going 4-for-7 with a double and her second home run in as many days. Giovenco also drove in six of SU's 11 runs on the day.
 
Freshman Emily Gigliotti reached base in all three plate appearances against West Liberty, going 2-for-2 with a triple and three RBIs.
 
Sophomore Chloe Collins had a hit in each game while also pitching a complete game against New Haven. Sophomore Anna Warfield reached base four times, including three walks, and scored three runs in the two games.
 
Shippensburg 9, West Liberty 5
 
The Raiders took advantage of a pair of West Liberty errors and stole three bases in a two-run first before scoring three runs in the second inning that included an RBI triple by Gigliotti and an RBI double by Giovenco.
 
Giovenco extended SU's lead in the fourth inning with a two-run single before Gigliotti struck again in the fifth inning with a two-run single of her own.
 
Freshman Taryn Wilson worked the first five innings for her first career victory. Fellow freshman Julia Tosti threw the final two innings, retiring all six batters she faced, to pick up her first career save.
 
New Haven 5, Shippensburg 2
 
The SU bats were held in check for the first four innings as New Haven was able to take a 2-0 lead with a run in the second and third inning.
 
Warfield began the Shippensburg half of the fifth inning with a walk and she was sacrificed to second base by sophomore Macy Luck. Sophomore Tara Bicko lined out to shortstop for the second out, but Giovenco came through with her second home run of the young season to tie the game 2-2.
 
However, after both teams went scoreless in the sixth inning, New Haven was able to score three runs in the top of the seventh. SU's starter, Collins, allowed four earned runs on six hits in her complete game effort.
 
The Raiders finish their weekend in Myrtle Beach tomorrow when they face Le Moyne at 10 a.m.