Slippery Rock women’s softball team was finally able to run through the bases Friday, as Indiana (Pa.) swept them on the turf of the Ruth Podbielski Field, with a final score of 10-7.
IUP (2-0, 2-0 PSAC West) and The Rock (0-2, 0-2 PSAC West) played a doubleheader, but Slippery Rock struggled at the plate. The Rock came out strong with a 6-0 lead until the Crimson Hawks struck back in the fourth inning and beyond.
The IUP offense, led by Haleigh Zimmerman, tallied nine runs combined in the fourth and fifth innings.
From there it was an uphill battle that the girls couldn’t bounce back from. While Claire Zimmerman led from the mound, Erin Gardner led from the plate going 5-for-7 with two RBI.
New member to the team and infielder, Gardner, combined with Kaitlyn Bowman and catcher Leah Vith, who added two RBI, led offensively. Regan Hozak also added two RBI on her own to get the team going. However, the walks and errors from IUP weren’t enough to stop them from scoring in the later innings of gameplay to win.
The following matchup was not much of a different scene, as IUP outscored The Rock, 9-3, sending them back home 0-2 on the day. Chloe Sharman started the game as pitcher, allowing five runs on six hits, until Zimmerman stepped in. Gardner led the team again with Anna Villies who also added back-to-back RBI-singles.
While Slippery Rock held a lead of 3-1 to start again, the outcome was no different.
The Crimson Hawks retaliated with more runs and locked in their second victory. Field errors and lack of scoring determined the future leading to nine unearned runs from IUP. Zimmerman took the mound again for Slippery Rock defense, taking the loss. She was eventually relieved by Kelsi Anderson, who made her first collegiate appearance. Anderson and Zimmerman allowed for five unearned runs each. In addition to that, Anderson had five strikeouts in her first game for The Rock.
Just like game one, Gardner led in batting going 3-for-3 with an RBI, while Cami Fisk added her name to the score column. Fisk went 2-for-2 with a double to give Slippery Rock momentum, however it wasn’t enough to fight off Bella Bucy on the mound at IUP.
Another PSAC West competition opened up as The Rock and the Crimson Hawks returned to action yet again on Tuesday. This time The Rock split with IUP (3-1, 3-1 PSAC West) in another on the road doubleheader gameday. Slippery Rock (1-3, 1-3 PSAC West) fell 6-5 in game one but fought back for their first win of the season in the second matchup. Villes and Fisk gave the offense a well-rounded day, batting a strong lead.
In game one, The Rock was up one run going through the fifth, until IUP battled back scoring additional runs in the fifth and sixth to seal the deal.
Hope Jones and Kaitlyn Beers bats were on fire for the Crimson Hawks, while Villes, Bowman, and Gardner tried to stay in it for Slippery Rock with a combined effort scoring in two runs to tie the game 2-2 early on.
Back-to-back homeruns from Jones and Beers advanced the lead to 4-2 in the fourth. They weren’t the only ones to hit it out of the park, as Alexa Guglielmino hit her fourth career homerun, and first of the season to lower the lead of IUP.
Lexi Zavarelle was scored in by Regan Hozak, who singled the next inning, giving The Rock their first advantage on the day. The 5-4 lead didn’t last long, when Indiana scored again in the following two innings to take their third win in a row.
It was enough to light a spark among Slippery Rock, who persisted and took game two through eight innings to a win of 8-7 over IUP. Zimmerman who went 2-for-5, and Hoffman led at the plate and rounded the bases, scoring in two.
Anna Villes went 3-for-4, with three runs scored and Julianna Hutchinson, 2-for-4, with a run tallied on her debut.
Zimmerman threw from the circle allowing five runs, only two being earned from IUP, before Anderson came to her relief. Anderson gave up two runs before finishing out her first collegiate victory with Slippery Rock.
Slippery Rock handed Indiana (Pa.) its first loss, while taking their first win and heading home. The Rock is set for a long week ahead, with a total of seven games.
Seton Hill is set to be the next opponent the squad will face up with this week.
