Gallery: (5-14-2026) 2026 Softball vs. Claflin (Regionals)
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The No. 1 seed Shippensburg University softball team opened the NCAA Atlantic Regional on Thursday with an 8-0 five-inning victory over No. 8 seed Claflin on a windy day at Robb Field.
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Shippensburg (39-16) totaled 10 hits, plating eight runs and drew five walks. Claflin (31-13) ended the day with three hits.Â
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Caitlyn Martell,
Gianna Cimino,
Brie Wilmot, and
Emilee Sullivan each totaled two hits on the day.
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Martell went 2-for-4 at the plate with a triple and a double. Cimino and Wilmot each went 2-for-3. Wilmot totaled three RBIs off of a double and a single. Sullivan went 2-for-2 with an RBI and drew a walk.
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Dani Hayward got the win in the circle for SU, allowing just three singles while striking out seven and walking one. Hayward delivered her sixth shutout and 28th win off the season. Â
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Martell led off the bottom of the first with a triple.
Leah Schwalm took advantage of a Lady Panther error to reach base and plate Martell, 1-0.
Lindsey Haser and
Rilee Ehrlacher drew back-to-back walks to make the bases loaded for the Raiders.
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With two outs, Wilmot got her first hit of the day – a single to left field – to score two runs and increase the lead to 3-0. The last run of the inning came from a hit from Sullivan that scored Ehrlacher after a Claflin error.
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The Lady Panthers delivered a leadoff single in the top of the second, but Hayward and the defense worked out of the inning with two strikeouts and a fielder's choice.
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Martell started off the bottom of the second with a double.
Reagan Bauman drew a walk with one out to put two runners on base. Claflin kept the score 4-0 after a fly out and a ground out.
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Cimino led off with a double in the bottom of the third, followed by a double from Wilmot to make it 5-0. Sullivan drew a walk before pinch runner
Emily Lafferty scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-0. Sarah Saboscik drew the second walk of the inning to put runners on the corners, but the Lady Panthers notched three straight outs to end the inning.
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The Raider lead increased in the bottom of the fourth. Haser led off with a single and advanced to second after a sacrifice bunt from Ehrlacher. Cimino singled, followed by an RBI single from Sullivan, to make it 7-0. Sabocsik delivered a double that nearly cleared the fence to score the last run of the day for the Raiders, 8-0.
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Claflin recorded a single with one out in the top of the fifth, but the Raider defense ended the game with back-to-back outs.
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Shippensburg moves on to face No. 5 seed Charleston in the winner's bracket of the regional, with first pitch set for 11 a.m. tomorrow.
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The winner of that game will next play at 11 a.m. Saturday, while the loser will face either Glenville State or Claflin in an elimination game at 4 p.m. Friday.
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