SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University softball team had to settle for a split at Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division opponent Lock Haven on Saturday, dropping the opener 6-4 before winning Game 2 by a 16-4 score on a rainy day at Lawrence Field.
Shippensburg (33-15, 20-10 PSAC East) totaled 25 hits on the day, with 17 of those coming from Game 2. Lock Haven (29-21, 17-15 PSAC East) finished the doubleheader with 17 total hits, plating 10 runs.
Caitlyn Martell highlighted the day for the Raiders, breaking the all-time school record for career hits with 295. The previous record was Taylor Myers, who totaled 294 career hits from 2021-24.
Martell led the SU offense with five hits, including a grand slam in Game 2. She totaled four RBIs on the day.
Rilee Ehrlacher added four hits and three RBIs off of a home run and three singles.
Kaira Zamadics earned the win in the circle in Game 2, pitching a complete game. She recorded two strikeouts while allowing nine hits and walking five batters.
Shippensburg will close out the regular season tomorrow at home with a doubleheader against Kutztown at 1 p.m.; the team will honor its five seniors prior to Game 1.
GAME 1: LOCK HAVEN 6, SHIP 4
The Bald Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the first after a leadoff walk and an RBI single.
SU tied the game in top of the second.
Gianna Cimino reached base after a Lock Haven error and Ehrlacher placed a sacrifice bunt to advance Cimino to second.
Emilee Sullivan notched an RBI single to make it 1-1.
Dani Hayward and the Raider defense retired three straight Bald Eagles in the bottom of the second.
Martell and
Lindsey Haser recorded singles in the top of the third, but Lock Haven kept the score 1-1.
The Bald Eagles regained the lead in the bottom of the third, beginning with a leadoff single. An RBI single made it 2-1. A walk put two runners on base and an RBI single increased the lead to 3-1.
Lock Haven scored its last three runs of the game in the bottom of the fourth. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases. Maci Brodzina recorded a double to clear the bases and make it 6-1.
The Raiders saw their second run of the day come in the top of the sixth. Ehrlacher singled and
Brie Wilmot reached on a fielder's choice play. Sullivan made the bases loaded with a fielder's choice play.
Sarah Sabocsik (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) drew a walk to score a run and make it 6-2. The Bald Eagles worked out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts.
Lock Haven began the bottom of the sixth with a leadoff single before
Leah Schwalm caught the runner stealing for the first out. A strikeout from Hayward and a fly out ended the inning.
The Raiders tried to complete a comeback in the top of the seventh scoring two runs.
Reagan Bauman got on base after an error and Haser doubled to put two runners on. Cimino recorded a sacrifice fly to make it 6-3. Ehrlacher hit an RBI single to make it 6-4. A strikeout and a pop fly ended the game.
Hayward pitched a complete game in the circle for the Raiders, striking out three batters while walking five and allowing eight hits.
Martell, Haser and Ehrlacher led the offense with two hits apiece. Schwalm and Sullivan each added a hit. The Raiders matched the Bald Eagles with eight hits but left ten runners on base.
GAME 2: SHIP 16, LOCK HAVEN 4
The Raiders scored their first seven runs of the day in the top of the second inning. Cimino started the rally with a leadoff single. Ehrlacher delivered the first home run of the day for the Raiders to make it 2-0. Wilmot immediately followed with a solo shot to increase the lead to three.
Martell singled and Schwalm drew a walk to put two more Raiders on base. Bauman tripled to clear the bases and make it 5-0. A pair of fielding errors from the Bald Eagles increased the lead to seven.
Martell delivered her record-breaking hit in the top of the third – a single up the middle. This marked her 295th career hit, breaking the previous school record (294).
Bauman increased the lead with an RBI to make it 8-0.
Lock Haven got on the board in the bottom of the third after a leadoff double and an RBI single to make it 8-1. The Bald Eagles threatened to score again with two runners on and only one out. SU worked out of the inning with back-to-back outs.
Wilmot and Ehrlacher notched singles in the top of the fourth, but three straight outs kept SU from increasing its lead.
The Bald Eagles plated two more runs in the bottom of the fourth off of an RBI double and a RBI single to make it 8-3.
Cimino launched her ninth home run of the season in the top of the sixth to make the score 9-3. Wilmot singled followed by Sullivan drawing a walk and a single from Sabocsik to load the bases. The Bald Eagles got out of the inning with a ground out.
Lock Haven drew a walk to start the bottom of the sixth. The runner advanced to third after a ground out and a single. The Bald Eagles drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to come within five at 9-4.
The Raiders scored seven more runs in the top of the seventh inning. Schwalm started the inning with a single. Haser and Cimino delivered back-to-back singles to make the bases loaded. With two outs, Wilmot and Sullivan brought in a pair of runs off of a hit by pitch and a walk, 11-4. Sabocsik delivered an RBI single to increase the lead to eight. Martell sent a ball over the fence for a grand slam, 16-4.
The Bald Eagles got a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the seventh with a single and a walk but were unable to score.
Zamadics got the win in the circle for the Raiders, striking out two batters while walking five and allowing nine hits.
The Raider offense combined for 17 hits with five of those going for extra bases. Martell, Cimino and Wilmot delivered three hits apiece. Martell recorded a team-high four RBIs. Eight Raiders recorded at least one hit with seven Raiders delivering an RBI.
