STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- The No. 4 seed Shippensburg University softball team posted its second walk-off win in as many days in NCAA Regional play Friday, this time knocking off No. 1 seed East Stroudsburg in nine innings during another soggy day at Creekview Park, 5-4.
 
Shippensburg (33-20) senior ace Alicia Ball outdueled ESU All-Region First Team ace Sarah Davenport over a grueling nine innings before freshman Gianna Cimino punched a two-out RBI single through the right side to complete the upset over East Stroudsburg (47-11-1) and send the Raiders to the finals of the ESU subregion.
 
The Raiders will await the winner of the losers' bracket – currently between ESU, West Chester and Bowie State – for a showdown tentatively scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
 
Cimino had a star-making performance at the keystone position for the Raiders Friday. She totaled three hits and two RBI at the plate and made several outstanding plays defensively, including a potentially game-saving assist to deny a run a home plate in the final inning of regulation.
 
Ball matched her season-high of 141 pitches to earn the victory in a contest that featured three lead changes. She scattered nine hits and four runs (one earned) and recorded 10 strikeouts – her sixth double-digit strikeout total of the season.  
 
Shippensburg answered a run manufactured by ESU in the top of the fourth with a two-run rally in the next half inning. Sophomore Brie Wilmot stayed hot following yesterday's walk-off home run, this time smashing an opposite field RBI double to tie the score. Cimino followed with a single through the right side to plate the SU first baseman and stake Ball to a 2-1 lead.
 
Senior Aryanna Briddell provided the Raiders with a vital insurance run with a two-out RBI single in the sixth before the Warriors rallied for two unearned runs on two SU errors in the next half inning. ESU could have had more, but Cimino made a tough run-saving stop on a grounder to her left and fired home to Briddell, who tagged a runner attempting to score to keep the game tied at 3-3.
 
Another costly Shippensburg miscue – SU's fifth total error Friday – resulted in ESU taking a 4-3 edge midway through the ninth.
 
With their backs against the wall, SU rallied. Junior Rilee Ehrlacher and sophomore Sarah Sabocsik started the bottom half of the ninth inning with back-to-back singles against Davenport.
 
A groundout advanced the runners, setting up a clutch sacrifice fly from junior Emilee Sullivan to tie the score and Cimino's two-out single off ESU reliever Abbie Landrum kicked-off SU's second straight walk-off celebration.
 
SU totaled 12 hits – including 11 against Davenport, who fell to 31-4 on the season with the loss (SU is responsible for two of her four losses). Sabocsik finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Ehrlacher and Wilmot recorded two hits apiece.
 
Taylor Lipkins was 3-for-5 with a run scored for ESU.

SOFTBALL: WALK-OFF WINNERS! 🤯🔥

Gianna's RBI single in extras beats No. 1 seed ESU and sends the Raiders into the finals of the ESU subregion!

SHIP 5, ESU 4 (FINAL) pic.twitter.com/vmyydD6RRj

— Shippensburg University Raiders (@ShipURaiders) May 9, 2025