STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University softball team overcame a four-run deficit Sunday to rally and defeat Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division rival Kutztown for the first time in six tries this season, dispatching the Golden Bears by a score of 9-4 in NCAA Atlantic Regional tournament competition at Vigon International Field at Creekview Park.
Shippensburg (36-20)'s victory over Kutztown (35-23) advanced the Raiders to the "if necessary" championship game of the East Stroudsburg regional, as it was the first loss of the tournament for the Golden Bears.
The Raiders were behind the eight ball through the first four innings, trailing KU 4-0. A two-run home run by Morgan Slomkowski in the top of the third had seemingly put all of the momentum in favor of the Golden Bears.
Undaunted, SU strung together its decisive rally with one out in the fifth – scoring seven times. Six straight Raiders reached base, resulting in a tie score. An RBI-double by sophomore
Caitlyn Martell started things off, and freshman
Sarah Sabocsik then doubled in another run.
With the bases loaded and one out, junior
Katelyn Minney ripped a ball that went down the left-field line for a double, plating two runners to even the score at 4-4.
Gravish induced a groundout for the second out, but the Raider rally wasn't over. Sophomore
Emilee Sullivan hit a ball up the middle that the KU shortstop dove to corral but at which she couldn't make a play at first, resulting in two runners scoring and the Raiders gaining a 6-4 lead.
A four-pitch walk to graduate
Alyssa Nehlen chased Gravish, and a single by senior
Taylor Myers re-loaded the bases. Martell then slammed a ball off the KU relief pitcher's heel that rolled around the infield and went for an RBI-single, giving SU its seventh run of the inning. A bases-loaded pop out ended the inning, but the damage had been done.
The Raiders added two more insurance runs in the sixth, as freshman
Brie Wilmot and Nehlen contributed RBI-singles to bring the game to its final 9-4 margin.
Junior
Alicia Ball overcame some early inconsistency and settled down the stretch, retiring the final seven batters she faced en route to her 21st victory of the season. Ball allowed 10 hits and walked three in a complete-game effort, with three of her four runs allowed being earned.
Martell reached base in all four of her plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI and a run. Myers, Wilmot, Sullivan and senior
Morgan Lindsay each totaled two hits.
All nine Raiders in the lineup reached base at least once, with eight of them delivering at least one hit. SU's 15 hits were tied for the second-most in a game this season and marked the second time it had totaled 15 hits in a game against Kutztown.
