The Shippensburg University softball team began a weekend of key regional matchups Saturday with a split, falling 6-1 to the University of Charleston before rallying for a 7-6 win in eight innings over West Liberty.
 
The neutral-site games were played at the recently-renovated James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va.
 
Overall on the day, Reagan Bauman and Caitlyn Martell paced the Raiders with four hits. Bauman's biggest hit was a game-tying, two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning against West Liberty.
 
Brie Wilmot and Gianna Cimino both reached base four times; each finished with two doubles, a single and a walk.
 
Shippensburg is right back at it Sunday morning with a 10 a.m. game against Slippery Rock and a noon matchup with Glenville State.
 
Game 1: Charleston 6, Shippensburg 1
 
The Raiders got off to a tough start against the three-time reigning Mountain East Conference (MEC) Champions, falling behind 5-0 after two innings. Shippensburg served as the home team in this game.
 
In her final five innings, Dani Hayward scattered one run on five hits. Overall, Hayward finished with a career-high 11 strikeouts – the performance was the second double-digit strikeout game of her career.
 
SU had its chances but left two runners on in the fifth, the bases loaded in the second and hit into a double play in the first. The Raiders cracked the scoreboard in the sixth on an infield single by Bauman that plated pinch runner Ryan Morse.
 
Addison Mass got the win for the Golden Eagles, striking out eight in a complete-game effort. Ella Zucchero and Taylor Hodson combined for five hits at the top of the UC batting order.
 
Game 2: Shippensburg 7, West Liberty 6 (8 innings)
 
Shippensburg and West Liberty combined for 23 hits in a back-and-forth game that featured three lead changes and a pair of tie scores. WLU was the home team in this game.
 
After the Hilltoppers took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second on an error, SU tied it in the top of the third on RBI-doubles by Wilmot and Bauman.
 
In the fourth, Cimino doubled in a run to give the Raiders a 3-2 lead, but West Liberty tied it in the bottom half with a bases-loaded walk.
 
Martell put Shippensburg in front in the top of the sixth with an RBI-single, but again, the Hilltoppers answered. With two outs, a two-run double and an RBI-single put West Liberty ahead, 7-5.
 
Needing a pair of runs to avoid a sweep on the day, Wilmot opened the seventh with a walk against reliever Ashlyn Tapman and Bauman launched a homer over the left-center field fence to tie the score.
 
With the international tiebreaker in effect for the eighth inning, Cimino singled with one out to put runners on the corners. Leah Schwalm, back in action Saturday, then came to the plate and put the Raiders back on top with an RBI-single.
 
West Liberty attempted to match SU in bottom half, as it also hit a one-out single to put runners on the corners. However, the Raiders claimed the victory when a Sarah Sabocsik caught a line drive to center and through back to first base to double up the Hilltopper baserunner.
 
Madalyn Dyer got the Game 2 win in the circle for Shippensburg by throwing a career-high eight innings. It was Dyer's ninth career complete game and the first time she worked into extra innings in a start. She allowed four earned runs and struck out three.
 
SU finished with seven extra-base hits. Cimino had two doubles, while Bauman had her home run and double. The Top 5 hitters in the Raider order had 11 of the team's 13 overall hits.