SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. -- The Shippensburg University softball team dropped its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division doubleheader against No. 15 Kutztown Saturday. The Raiders lost Game 1, 8-6, and Game 2, 12-8, on a damp, cool afternoon at Robb Field.
 
Shippensburg (19-13, 8-8 PSAC East) attempted late rallies in both games but Kutztown (27-8, 11-5 PSAC East) proved to have enough offense to deny the Raiders. The Golden Bears (24) and the Raiders (16) combined for 40 hits in the doubleheader.
 
Junior Caitlyn Martell went 4-for-7 with two home runs in the nightcap and six RBIs on the day. freshman Gianna Cimino was 3-for-5 with a sacrifice fly and three runs scored, while sophomore Emily Lafferty had three singles, a walk, a stolen base and four runs scored.
 
Sophomore Sarah Sabocsik had a two-run double and a pair of sacrifice flies at the plate in addition to a highlight-reel diving catch in Game 2 that prevented an RBI-double. Senior Aryanna Briddell drew a walk in each of her first four plate appearances in the doubleheader.
 
Shippensburg travels to Shepherd on Tuesday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Sara Cree Field.
 
GAME ONE: KUTZTOWN 6, SHIP 4
 
The Golden Bears had struck out seven times and only managed one hit against senior Alicia Ball until, with one out in the fourth, KU loaded the bases on a hit-by-pitch and consecutive singles.
 
Ball promptly induced a groundball, but in an attempt to get the force at home, Morgan Slomkowski beat the throw. After the fielder's choice, No. 9 batter Jenna Piatkiewicz slashed a two-run single to right field to cap off an 11-pitch at bat. Two batters later, Naya Darnowski singled home Piatkiewicz and made it a four-run frame for the visitors.
 
The Raiders responded in the bottom of the fifth by plating three runs. Singles by Cimino and Lafferty put two runners on with two outs. Sabocsik doubled both of them home. Sophomore Brie Wilmot followed with a single up the middle to bring home Sabocsik that cut the Kutztown advantage down to one after five innings.
 
The Golden Bears added two more runs in the sixth on a bases loaded, two-out, two-run single by Emily Henn.
 
Shippensburg got one of those runs back in the next half inning – Briddell led off with a walk and senior pinch runner Katelyn Minney eventually came around to score on a Cimino sacrifice fly.
 
The Raiders attempted a rally in the bottom of the seventh as Martell hit a leadoff double, but a fly out and back-to-back groundouts ended Game 1 and improved KU's Haley Gravish to 16-4 on the season.
 
Ball threw 153 pitches and finished with eight strikeouts. She scattered nine hits and three walks.
 
GAME TWO: KUTZTOWN 12, SHIP 8
 
Kutztown hit three three-run home runs in Game 2, which proved to be too much for the Raiders to overcome.
 
Four batters into the game, Alexa Stevens delivered a three-run blast to give KU an immediate lead. SU got one back in the bottom of the first after Lafferty singled, stole her 25th base, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a Sabocsik sac fly.
 
The Raiders tied the game in the bottom of the third, opening with a leadoff single from Cimino. Lafferty followed suit with another single, and Martell lashed an RBI single that brought home Cimino to make it 3-2. Another sacrifice fly from Sabocsik drove in Lafferty to even the score, 3-3.
 
In the top of the fifth inning, Slomkowski hit the second three-run home run for the Golden Bears to chase SU freshman starter Dani Hayward.
 
Shippensburg responded immediately in the bottom of the fifth. Cimino hit a leadoff single and, with two outs, Martell sent the first pitch screaming over the left-field fence for a two-run home run that shrunk the KU lead to one, 6-5.
 
Sophomore Madalyn Dyer retired the first five batters she faced entering the top of the seventh. KU, which ended the bottom of the sixth by stranding two runners with an infield fly and a double-play grounder, erupted for six runs to take control.
 
With two runs in and two outs, a Kendall Geesey RBI-single preceded a three-run homer by Piatkiewicz that was the insurmountable blow.
 
The Raiders again attempted a rally, starting with a one-out single from Hayward and a walk by Lafferty. That brought Martell to the plate, and the SU shortstop smacked a 1-2 pitch over the center field fence for a three-run home run, her fifth long ball of the season. Gravish entered out of the bullpen to induce two flyouts to end the Raiders rally, resulting in the 12-8 final.
 

SOFT: A Marty 💣 brings in 2 runs for the Raiders🔥

KU 6, SHIP 5 (BOT 5) pic.twitter.com/ZkEYWfk0mE

— Shippensburg University Raiders (@ShipURaiders) April 5, 2025