SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University softball team rallied on three different occasions Wednesday to come from behind and defeat visiting Pitt-Johnstown in Game 1 of a crossover doubleheader, 8-7 in eight innings, before vanquishing the Mountain Cats 8-0 in five innings in Game 2 on a sunny and pleasant afternoon at Robb Field.
 
Shippensburg (24-14), which was ranked at No. 6 in the first edition of the NCAA Atlantic Region rankings released earlier in the day, got four hits each from sophomore Alyssa Nehlen, junior Hannah Marsteller and freshman Katelyn Minney. All three players had two hits in both games.
 
Pitt-Johnstown (15-14) matched the Raiders with 11 hits in Game 1 and held a 2-0 lead after one inning, a 5-2 lead after five innings and a 7-5 lead entering the bottom of the eighth inning. Julia Mooney had three of the six Mountain Cat RBIs.
 
With senior Morgan DeFeo starting the bottom of the eighth on second base due to the international tiebreaker procedure, the Raiders got an infield single from Marsteller, an RBI-single from sophomore Morgan Lindsay, an RBI-single from Minney, and a walkoff RBI-single from Nehlen to rally and win without recording an out.
 
It was the third straight game that Shippenburg defeated UPJ in walk-off fashion – in the two games played at Robb Field last year, DeFeo hit a walk-off single and Nehlen hit a walk-off home run to defeat the Mountain Cats. That made the Game 1 win the second straight victory for SU over UPJ won on a Nehlen walk-off.
 
Wednesday's Game 2 was never in doubt after a two-run single in the bottom of the first by Nehlen and a five-run bottom of the second that included the first of two home runs by Marsteller – a three-run shot that landed off the beam of the scoreboard in left field. Marsteller added a solo home run in the fourth inning to make it an 8-0 lead for the Raiders.
 
Sophomore Emma Flattery recorded a five-inning shutout in Game 2, stranding the bases loaded in the fifth inning to secure the five-inning victory. Flattery retired the first eight hitters she faced and scattered four singles, walking one and striking out three. It was Shippensburg's seventh shutout of the season and Flattery's second shutout of the Mountain Cats this season (she threw a three-hit shutout at UPJ on March 18).
 
Freshman Alicia Ball went the distance in Game 1, allowing seven runs (five earned) on 11 hits, walking four and striking out five in eight innings. Ball threw 153 pitches in her complete game, while UPJ starter Alyssa Hileman threw just 82 pitches and also threw a complete game.
 
Nehlen finished the day 4-for-7 with five RBIs. Marsteller was 4-for-6 and was also hit by a pitch and scored five runs. Minney hit the ball hard seemingly every time up, finishing 4-for-7 with a double, stolen base and a couple of loud outs as well.
 
Shippensburg will travel to Lock Haven on Friday for a 1 p.m. divisional doubleheader with the Bald Eagles at Lawrence Field.