The Shippensburg University softball team split its regular season finale at No. 19 Kutztown on Sunday to secure a berth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament. Both games of the Eastern Division doubleheader ended 3-2, with the Golden Bears winning Game 1 and the Raiders winning Game 2 in action at sunny and windy North Campus Field.
 
Shippensburg (30-18, 19-13 PSAC East) and Kutztown (37-14, 21-11), which played for the 11th and 12th times against each other dating back to the start of last season, have now played four consecutive one-run games at North Campus Field in the regular season.
 
SU had 10 hits on the day – three each by junior Rilee Ehrlacher and senior Aryanna Briddell.
 
Shippensburg, which earned the PSAC East's No. 5 seed, will face Western Division No. 4 seed IUP at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Quakertown. The Raiders will have two games on Wednesday, with the time and location of the second to be determined by the results earlier in the day.
 
Game 1: Kutztown 3, Ship 2
 
Game 1 opened with nine straight outs. In the bottom of the second, Kristin Geesey delivered a two-out, two-run single up the middle to give the Golden Bears a 2-0 lead.
 
SU got runners on the corners with one out in the fifth but could not score.
 
The Raiders evened the score in the sixth after putting two runners in scoring position with one out. An RBI-groundout by sophomore Brie Wilmot accounted for the first run before a two-out RBI-single by Ehrlacher made it 2-2.
 
The Golden Bears immediately answered in the bottom of the sixth. Morgan Slomkowski hit a leadoff double, advanced to third on a groundout, and then scored after Sarah Harvat nubbed a ball toward first base that ended up as an error.
 
SU threatened in the top of the seventh on a one-out single by freshman Gianna Cimino and a two-out walk to junior Caitlyn Martell, but a groundout sealed the Game 1 victory for Kutztown.
 
Senior Alicia Ball pitched a complete game in the loss, striking out three batters while scattering five hits and three runs. Hailey Gravish improved to 24-6 with a complete game of her own, walking one without recording a strikeout.
 
Game 2: Ship 3, Kutztown 2
 
Kutztown had a quick start in Game 2 as well, scoring two unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning. A two-out throwing error, followed by a single, gave the Golden Bears an early lead.
 
Shippensburg remained patient, scoring three runs over the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings (one run in each inning). Hayward started the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff double into right center, where Sabocsik put down a sacrifice bunt to advance Hayward to third. A sacrifice fly from Wilmot gave Hayward enough time to race home and cut the lead to one run.
 
The top of the fifth inning was nearly a three-up, three-down frame until a fielding error allowed Cimino to reach first with two outs. A seven-pitch walk drawn by senior pinch hitter Katelyn Minney and another fielding error loaded the bases. A four-pitch walk to Hayward brought Cimino home and tied the game at 2-2.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Hayward and the SU defense worked out of an incredible jam after Kutztown loaded the bases with nobody out on back-to-back singles and a hit by pitch. Consecutive fielders choices at home preceded a comebacker that kept the game 2-2 after five innings.
 
In the sixth, Ehrlacher hit a one-out single and was replaced by senior pinch runner Ally Weaver. With two outs, Briddell slammed an RBI-double into left center off Gravish that gave Weaver enough time to reach home and give the Raiders their first lead of the doubleheader at 3-2.
 
The Golden Bears got the game-tying run to third base in the bottom of the sixth, but a pop out sent the game into the seventh. Solid defense by SU forced a line out double play and a groundout to win Game 2 and clinch a spot in the PSAC playoffs.
 
Hayward improved her season record to 12-5, striking out three and not walking a batter.
 
In three starts this week, Hayward went 3-0 with three complete games and allowed just one earned run (four total runs) in 21 innings. Hayward allowed only one extra-base hit all week, walked just two, and struck out 17.

SOFTBALL: Rilee Ehrlacher's RBI-single with two outs in the sixth ties the score at 2-2 at Kutztown pic.twitter.com/pw56ZW6yM8

— Shippensburg University Raiders (@ShipURaiders) April 27, 2025

SOFTBALL: Pinky! Aryanna Briddell hits an RBI-double and the Raiders take a 3-2 lead at Kutztown in the top of the sixth in Game 2. pic.twitter.com/jsGA6CAcSN

— Shippensburg University Raiders (@ShipURaiders) April 27, 2025

SOFTBALL: Pinky! Aryanna Briddell hits an RBI-double and the Raiders take a 3-2 lead at Kutztown in the top of the sixth in Game 2. pic.twitter.com/jsGA6CAcSN

— Shippensburg University Raiders (@ShipURaiders) April 27, 2025