Gallery: (4-30-2025) 2025 Softball vs. Seton Hill (PSACs)
QUAKERTOWN, Pa. – The Shippensburg University softball team responded to a morning loss at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament with a decisive elimination bracket victory over Western Division No. 3 seed Seton Hill on Wednesday night, claiming a 13-5 victory in five innings at sunny Veterans Park.
Shippensburg (31-19) bounced back with a solid hitting attack to take down the Griffins (29-17), who eliminated the Raiders at last year's PSAC Tournament. SU scored multiple runs in four of its five innings, cranked out 13 hits (including five doubles and a home run) and drew six walks.
Four Raiders had multiple hits, with sophomore
Sarah Sabocsik finishing a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a double, three RBIs and three runs scored.
Junior
Rilee Ehrlacher smacked two doubles, had two RBIs and two runs scored. Freshman
Gianna Cimino hit a two-run home run – the second of her career – and added a single.
Junior
Caitlyn Martell went 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored at the top of the Raider batting order. Senior
Aryanna Briddell and junior
Emilee Sullivan each delivered multiple RBIs. Briddell's RBI-single capped a four-run bottom of the fifth inning and was the game-sealing RBI.
Freshman
Dani Hayward pitched a complete game, striking out seven and walking none. Her fifth strikeout of the game was her 100th of the season. Hayward scattered eight hits and five runs, improving her record to 13-5.
The bottom of the second inning opened with a leadoff double from Ehrlacher, who advanced to third from a Sullivan sacrifice bunt. After a strikeout, Cimino crushed a home run over the center-field fence for an early 2-0 lead.
Seton Hill responded with a home run of their own, getting a two-run shot from Brooklyn Fukushima to even the game in the third inning.
SU got right back to work in the bottom half, starting with a leadoff double from Martell. Hayward bunted her to third, and Sabocsik singled into the right side to bring Martell home. Ehrlacher's second double of the game brought Sabocsik home and put the Raiders back up by two runs.
Shippensburg started to pull away in the bottom of the fourth, scoring five runs. The inning opened with a walk for senior
Katelyn Minney, followed by a single from Martell. An RBI groundout from Hayward brought Minney home, then a Sabocsik single down the right field line got Martell home to extend the lead to four.
Sophomore
Brie Wilmot drew her second of three walks to get on base, then Ehrlacher reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases for Shippensburg. A Sullivan double into right center brought Sabocsik and pinch runner sophomore
Ryan Morse home for two more runs, then an RBI groundout from Briddell got Ehrlacher home for the Raiders to lead 9-2 after four.
The Griffins answered again in the top of the fifth inning, using a pinch-hit three-run home run from Shelby Telegdy to make it 9-5 going into the bottom of the fifth.
SU immediately responded once again, ending the game in the bottom of the fifth after loading the bases. An RBI-single from Sabocsik, a walk by Wilmot, a fielder's choice from Ehrlacher and Briddell's RBI single brought the run rule into effect.
Shippensburg's next elimination game is at 12:30 p.m. Thursday against Bloomsburg. The Huskies won the coin toss and will be the home team.
It will be the fifth matchup of the season between the two teams: Bloomsburg swept the season series.
In PSAC Championships play over the last three years, SU defeated the Huskies twice en route to its conference title, while Bloomsburg eliminated the Raiders from the 2022 tournament.
