SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University softball team used timely hitting and solid pitching to dispatch Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division rival West Chester in a Friday afternoon doubleheader, defeating the Golden Rams by scores of 11-2 (six innings) and 4-2 on a bitterly cold and windy day at Robb Field.
 
Shippensburg (22-6, 11-3 PSAC East) pounced early in Game 1 against West Chester (18-11, 7-5), as sophomore shortstop Caitlyn Martell hit a two-run home run two batters into the game and the Raiders scored five times with two outs in the second inning to take a 7-0 lead.
 
SU added single runs in the fourth and fifth inning before walking it off via the run rule in the sixth inning with a two-run opposite-field bomb by freshman Sarah Sabocsik.
 
The Raiders slugged five home runs on the day (four in Game 1) en route to their second doubleheader sweep of West Chester in the last nine years.
 
Golden Ram ace Danielle Ciliberto retired the first nine batters she faced in Game 2. SU manufactured a run in the fourth to take the lead, and junior Katelyn Minney crushed a ball over the center-field fence in the fifth inning for her third career home run to make it 2-0.
 
The Raiders scored two much-needed insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth – again with two outs – as freshman Reagan Bauman hit an RBI-single and sophomore Emilee Sullivan hit an RBI-double. WCU scored twice in the top of the seventh, but Minney entered the circle from right field to get the final three outs for her second save of the year.
 
All nine Raider starters had at least one hit in the doubleheader.
 
Senior Morgan Lindsay hit a huge three-run home run in Game 1 as part of the team's five-run second inning. Lindsay was 3-for-6 at the plate on the day with the three-run homer, a double, four RBI and a walk.
 
Senior Taylor Myers added three more hits, including a two-run single before Lindsay's homer, scored three runs and stole a base. Martell homered twice in the opener and scored three runs.
 
Sabocsik not only walked off Game 1 with a homer, but she made an absolute highlight-reel defensive play in Game 2 with a diving catch that prevented a double and saved a run. She also had a double and a walk at the plate.
 
Junior Alicia Ball improved to 12-1 with the Game 1 victory, scattering two runs on five hits over six innings. Ball walked four and struck out three.
 
Freshman Madalyn Dyer threw six scoreless innings in Game 2 before surrendering a home run and double to begin the seventh inning. Dyer improved to 6-0, allowing two runs on six hits while walking three and striking out six.
 
Shippensburg will play its third league doubleheader in as many days tomorrow, as the Raiders travel to face Kutztown at 1 p.m. at North Campus Field.