CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Shippensburg University softball team came back in the bottom of the seventh, scoring four runs to defeat No. 7 seed Davis and Elkins, 10-9, in the opening round of the 2023 NCAA Division II Softball Championships on a humid and sunny Thursday afternoon at UC Softball Field.
 
Shippensburg (33-18) graduate Hannah Marsteller raced down to home plate after the Davis & Elkins (29-27) catcher made an error on a sacrifice fly to finish a comeback from a four-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh. The Raiders and the Senators both came out swinging with a combined 26 hits. Marsteller led SU, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs and a career-high three stolen base.
 
D&E struck first in the top of the first with an RBI-single and an RBI-double to take a 2-0 lead. SU quickly erased the deficit with junior Taylor Myers drawing a walk and a single to center field by freshman Caitlyn Martell. Marsteller then ripped a single to right side and Myers scored on a catcher's interference.
 
Junior Morgan Lindsay continued the scoring with an RBI single to right field to bring Martell home. Fellow junior, Alyssa Nehlen, brought Marsteller home with an RBI fielder's choice and the 3-2 lead.
 
SU added two more runs in the second inning with another RBI single by Marsteller to center field that brought home Myers, who had singled to third base. Lindsay then singled to right field and added another run for a 5-2 lead.
 
In the top of the fourth, Davis & Elkins came out swinging with a leadoff double to left center, a pair of singles to tie the game 5-5 with no outs. Sophomore Alicia Ball (Woodstock, Va./Central) came out of the bullpen and got ahead with a strikeout followed by a ground out to Nehlen. With two outs, D&E drew two walks to load the bases and an RBI single extended its lead to 9-5. Ball got the third out with her second strikeout to get the Raiders out of the jam.
 
SU was shut down by D&E in the fourth and fifth inning, but the Raiders reduced the deficit to three runs in the sixth with a two-out rally. Marsteller singled to shortstop and Nehlen hit a bunt single to have runners on the corners. Freshman Kaira Zamadics ripped a single to shortstop to bring Marsteller home and to reduce the deficit to 9-6.
 
Ball retired the batters in the top of the seventh with back-to-back strikeouts followed by a ground out to shortstop.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, the Raiders dug deep as the bottom of the lineup came up clutch. Freshman Rilee Ehrlacher drew a walk to get a runner on base, followed by a single to center by sophomore Ally Weaver. Leadoff batter Myers reached base on a fielder's choice, after pinch runner sophomore Katelyn Minney beat out the throw and was called safe on third and loaded up the bases.
 
Martell hit a deep ball to left field for a sac fly RBI to make it 9-7. Marsteller then ripped an RBI single to right field to bring Weaver home and have the tying runner on third. Marsteller then stole second to have the go-ahead runner on second. Lindsay hit a sac fly RBI that brought Myers home, and then an unfortunate throw from right field with the catcher unable to grab the throw allowed Marstelle to sprint and dive into home plate for the 10-9 victory.
 
Zamadics started in the circle and threw 0.1 innings. Senior Emma Flattery (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) came in from the bullpen and threw 2.2 innings and struck out two. Ball threw 4.0 innings and got her ninth win of the season with six strikeouts and only had one earned run and two hits.
 
Shippensburg will take on No. 6 seed Kutztown in the next round tomorrow at 11 a.m. for a PSAC faceoff.