After dropping a two-game series against Edinboro University Sunday morning, Slippery Rock coach Stacey Rice would sooner forget the whole day.
“Move on to the next one. That’s my hope,” said Rice.
After an uninspired 3-9 loss in game one, the Slippery Rock University women’s softball team (12-17, 4-4 PSAC) allowed four unanswered runs in a 2-5 game two loss.
A rare bad outing from sophomore pitcher Camie Shumaker compounded by sloppy fielding and a lack of power from Rock batters left Rice concerned by the team she saw on the field.
“Based on how they played, I feel like we need to go back to some basics,” Rice said. “I hope that they just learn that they’re not defined by losing or by those two games. That’s not our team, not who we are… it was very uncharacteristic.”
Shumaker lasted five and one-third innings in game one, leaving in the sixth inning responsible for eight runs on 15 hits from Fighting Scots’ batters. The sophomore ace recorded only one strikeout — her second-lowest total of the season.
The Fighting Scots (11-13, 4-4) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning before junior left fielder Alexa Guglielmino ripped a line drive shot to left field, recording a triple and driving in SRU’s first run of the game.
Trailing by three again in the bottom of the fourth, sophomore third baseman Becca Roesch connected on her seventh double of the season to narrow the gap. Roesch’s double scored sophomore catcher Leah Vith and redshirt freshman Adeline Nicholson.
The Fighting Scots’ Brittany Allen took over in the fifth and sixth innings, crushing a one-run home run in the fifth and a two-run double in the sixth to finish off the Green and White.
Freshman pitcher Chloe Sharman took the mound in game two and matched Shumaker with five and one-third innings. Sharman allowed nine hits and five runs while striking out one batter.
While the hit totals jumped from five to eight between games one and two, respectively, Rice pointed to errors in the infield and sloppy overall play in being swept at home.
“We looked like we haven’t been practicing. We have been; we played very well yesterday. Maybe a day off, maybe a day off to kind of get yourself away from it. It’s going to be a test of mental strength moving forward now. You can’t get swept at home,” stated Rice.
Trailing by one in the second inning, Nicholson connected on a home run to left field to level the game. Her second home run in as many days, Rice praised Nicholson’s emerging power in adding a new dimension to the team.
“We’re never out of any game. When you have kids, who can put the ball over the fence, that gives your pitchers a lot of relief, that gives the coaching staff a lot of relief,” Rice said. “You can change the game with one swing and it’s really important.”
Rice mentioned freshman utility player Maggie Moore as another player with that game-breaking power and Moore showcased a bit of that power in game two.
On the seventh pitch of her third-inning at-bat, Moore cracked a deep single to left field which scored Guglielmino. Moore’s RBI would provide SRU with its final run of the game as EU would rally with two runs in the fifth and sixth inning.
With only 13 combined hits over both games, the Fighting Scots’ 15 game one hits showed just how outmatched SRU was. Rice said while her team’s lineup features a lot of power—which has not been seen consistently this season—the defense needs to do a better job in limiting opponent chances.
With a few days off until an away matchup with Point Park University on Wednesday afternoon, Rice got her wish of a having some time away from the softball field.
The first pitch against the Pioneers is slated for 3 p.m at Fairhaven Park in Pittsburgh, Pa.
