The Shippensburg University softball team played a pair of one-run games at West Chester on a muggy Saturday afternoon and settled for a split of its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader. The Golden Rams rallied to win the opener in walk-off fashion 3-2, before the Raiders rallied to win the nightcap, 4-3.
 
Shippensburg (25-17, 14-12 PSAC East) won the season series with West Chester (29-14, 15-11) by virtue of Saturday's split but currently sit one game out of a playoff spot entering the final week of the regular season.
 
SU is currently in sixth in the PSAC East (the Top 5 teams from each division qualify for the PSAC Tournament), but third place through sixth place in the standings are separated by just two games.
 
In Game 1, Shippensburg cranked out nine hits but only managed two runs – with Raiders touching home plate on a fourth-inning RBI-groundout by sophomore Emily Lafferty and a seventh-inning RBI-single by sophomore Sarah Sabocsik. SU grounded into two double plays and left eight runners on base.
 
Senior starter Alicia Ball was one out away from a shutout, but the Golden Rams completed a rally to stun the Raiders. With two outs and a runner on first, WCU worked a walk, and then a wild pitch put both Golden Rams in scoring position.
 
Leadoff batter Mairead Hopkins, on the seventh pitch of her at-bat and with a full count, laced a two-run double to tie it. On the next pitch, Haley Melvin singled up the middle to bring her home.
 
In Game 2, the Raiders manufactured two runs in the top of the first on a pair of errors. WCU countered in the bottom of the second with three consecutive two-out hits off freshman Dani Hayward to take a 3-2 lead.
 
Still trailing with six outs to go, SU scored twice in the sixth to take the lead. The Raiders loaded the bases with one out on back-to-back singles by sophomore Brie Wilmot and junior Rilee Ehrlacher and a walk by senior Aryanna Briddell.
 
Junior Emilee Sullivan hit a grounder to third base that was booted, which allowed senior pinch runner Ally Weaver (Clear Spring, Md./Clear Spring) to score and tie the game.
 
Freshman Gianna Cimino then hit a sacrifice fly to plate what proved to be the game-winning run. Hayward worked around a single in each of the last two innings, stranding the tying run on third base in the seventh to achieve the Saturday split.
 
Sabocsik was 5-of-8 on the day with a double and a stolen base. Junior Caitlyn Martell was 4-for-7; she reached base in all four plate appearances in Game 1 (3-for-3 with a walk).
 
Ehrlacher scored two of SU's six runs on the day, while Cimino added a double and a walk.
 
Hayward improved to 9-5 on the season by throwing her seventh career complete game. She scattered seven singles, a double and a walk while striking out three. Ball fell to 9-9 on the year; she allowed three singles and a double and walked four.
 
Shippensburg returns to action at 2 p.m. Tuesday when it hosts Mansfield at Robb Field.