Gallery: (5-2-2026) 2026 Softball vs. Kutztown (Senior Day)
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University softball team split its regular season finale against Kutztown on Saturday to secure the Eastern Division's No. 2 seed in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament. The Raiders won Game 1, 13-5 in six innings, before the visiting Golden Bears took Game 2, 6-2, at Robb Field.
Shippensburg (34-16, 21-11 PSAC East) totaled 27 hits on the day, plating 15 runs. Kutztown (34-18, 23-9 PSAC East) finished the day with 17 hits, plating 11 runs.
Lindsey Haser led the Raider offense with five hits on the day. Haser went 5-for-7 at the plate with a double and an RBI.
Emilee Sullivan and
Brie Wilmot added four hits each. Sullivan recorded three RBIs off a three-run home run in Game 1. Wilmot totaled four RBIs as she recorded two home runs in Game 1.
Dani Hayward pitched the win in the circle for SU, striking out three batters while allowing seven hits and walking two.
Before the game, the team recognized five players in a Senior Ceremony:
Rilee Ehrlacher,
Caitlyn Martell,
Kaira Zamadics, Sullivan and Haser.
Shippensburg will face Western Division No. 3 seed Seton Hill at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Grand Slam Complex in Binghamton, N.Y.
GAME 1: SHIP 13, KU 5 (6 innings)
The Golden Bears struck first after three singles in a row in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.
Leah Schwalm was the lone baserunner for SU in the bottom of the first after drawing a walk, but back-to-back outs kept the Raiders from scoring.
Hayward opened the second inning with a strikeout, and the Raider defense got two straight outs to end the inning.
Gianna Cimino led off the bottom of the second inning with a double. Wilmot delivered her first home run of the day to score two runs and give SU the lead, 2-1. Sullivan and Martell notched singles but were left on base after a fly out.
The Golden Bears started off the top of the third with a pair of singles followed by a walk. Morgan Slomkowski delivered a grand slam to clear the bases and put Kutztown back in the lead, 5-2.
Reagan Bauman and Haser recorded singles to start the bottom of the third inning. A double play from the Golden Bear defense left one SU runner on base. Ehrlacher recorded an RBI single to make it 5-3. With two outs and a 2-2 count, Wilmot launched her second two-run home run of the day to tie the game at 5-5.
KU started the fourth inning with a triple and a hit by pitch. The defense worked out of the inning with three straight outs to keep the game tied.
Schwalm recorded the lone hit of the bottom of the fourth for the Raiders, a double with two outs.
The Golden Bears got two runners on base with one out in the top of the fifth after a walk and a hit by pitch. A fielder's choice play got the second out, Kutztown tried to score on the play sending a runner home, but the Raider defense got the out at home to end the inning.
SU scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Haser started the rally with a single. Cimino recorded an RBI single to put the Raiders back in the lead, 6-5. With two runners on, Sullivan sent a ball over the fence for her second career home run to increase the lead to 9-5.
The Raiders increased their lead in the bottom of the sixth. Haser once again started the rally with a double. Cimino got on base after a Golden Bear error. Ehrlacher delivered the fourth SU home run of the game to make it 12-5. Sullivan hit a double followed by Sabocsik drawing a walk. Martell ended the game via run rule with an RBI double, 13-5.
Hayward earned the win in the circle for the Raiders, recording three strikeouts while allowing seven hits and walking two.
Martell, Haser and Sullivan led the offense with three hits apiece. Sullivan tied her career-high with three RBIs. Wilmot and Ehrlacher led the team with four RBIs each. This marked just the second time in Wilmot's career that she delivered a multiple home run game. Ehrlacher recorded a new career high with her four RBIs.
The Raiders totaled 17 hits with nine of those being extra base hits. Eight Raiders recorded at least one hit.
GAME 2: KU 6, SHIP 2
Kutztown got an early lead in the top of the first starting the inning with a leadoff single. After drawing a walk to put two runners on, the Golden Bears delivered an RBI single to score the first run of the day. After a walk loaded the bases, a groundout brought the second KU run in, 2-0.
Bauman recorded the Raiders' first hit of the game in the bottom of the first with two outs, but a foul out ended the inning.
The Golden Bears increased their lead to five in the top of the second inning. Kutztown led off with a single. With one out, Emily Henn tripled to make it 3-0. Zamadics struck out the next batter, recording her 100th strikeout of her career. The lead increased with a two-run home run from Alexa Stevens.
Wilmot singled in the bottom of the second, but the Golden Bears kept the Raiders scoreless.
The Raiders scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning. With two outs, Schwalm and Bauman recorded singles. Haser drove in a run with a single to make it 5-1.
Kutztown plated its last run of the day in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI single to make it 6-1. With one out and two runners on,
Madalyn Dyer entered the circle and worked out of the inning with back-to-back outs.
Wilmot notched her second single of the day in the bottom of the fourth but a double play from the Golden Bear defense ended the inning.
Morgan Koehler (Blandon, Pa./Fleetwood Area) came in for the Raiders in the bottom of the fifth and hit a double to start the frame. A flyout moved her to third, but the score stayed 6-1.
After a leadoff single, Dyer retired the next three Golden Bears recording two strikeouts.
The Raiders scored their last run of the day in the bottom of the seventh inning. Sullivan led off with a single followed by Koehler's second double of the day. Martell drove in the run with a groundout to make it 6-2.
Zamadics pitched 1.2 innings, striking out two batters while allowing five hits and walking two.
Mikayla Fontana entered the circle in the second inning, pitching 1.2 innings, giving up three hits and walking two. Dyer pitched the last 3.2 innings, striking out four, allowing just two hits and walking one.
Koehler, Bauman, Haser and Wilmot paced the offense with two hits apiece. Koehler, who entered the game as a pinch hitter, went 2-for-2 with two doubles. Bauman, Haser and Wilmot each went 2-for-3 at the plate. Haser recorded an RBI. The Raiders matched the Golden Bears with ten hits but left six runners on base.
