SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University softball team split its conference opener to East Stroudsburg in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon in a tale of two games at Robb Field. The Raiders won Game 1, 3-1, while the Warriors won Game 2, 12-3 in six innings.
 
Shippensburg (6-5, 1-1 PSAC East) totaled 13 hits in the doubleheader and totaled two home runs. Six Raiders had at least one hit in the doubleheader, including junior Morgan Lindsay who went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run. Lindsay also added three RBIs.
 
Freshman Caitlin Martell went 3-for-6, including her first collegiate home run, while graduate Hannah Marsteller had two hits including a triple in Game 1.
 
Shippensburg will host Chestnut Hill on Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader at 2 p.m.
 
Game 1: Shippensburg 3, East Stroudsburg 1
 
East Stroudsburg (7-7, 1-1) scored first in the top of the third with a single to right field with the bases loaded.
 
Shippensburg came out swinging in the bottom of the third, with an RBI triple by Marsteller to right center and an RBI single by Lindsay to take a 2-1 lead. Martell hit a long home run into center field, her first collegiate home run, that gave the Raiders a 3-1 lead.
 
Sophomore Alicia Ball had her third complete game of the season, and only allowed six hits and struck out four Warriors. Ball stranded 11 runners on base. She was particularly impressive in the top of the fourth when the bases were loaded and was able to get a groundout for the third out.
 
Game 2: East Stroudsburg 12, Shippensburg 3 (six innings)
 
Shippensburg had an early opportunity after a two-run home run by Lindsay to center field that brought home Marsteller, who got on base on a single up the middle.
 
ESU answered back with one run in the top of the second inning with a single by Brooke McKeown. The Warriors used the one-run momentum to score two more runs after an error by the Raiders to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the third. SU answered in the bottom of the third with a double by Lindsay that brought sophomore Katelyn Minney home, who singled to left center.
 
The Raiders struggled to find their pitching zone in the circle and gave up nine runs in the process. ESU took advantage of the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth inning to keep bringing runs home.
 
Freshman Kaira Zamadics started in the circle for the Raiders and threw 1.3 innings and allowed four hits and one strikeout. Seniors Emma Flattery and Hannah Palinkas both came in as relief pitchers and threw 0.2 innings.
 
Junior Maelynn Leber threw 1.2 innings and allowed five hits. Redshirt-Ssnior Maddie Uschock threw 0.1 innings and senior Hanna Phillips threw 1.0 innings and had one strikeout.