The Slippery Rock University women’s softball team extended their unbeaten run to five matches following a win and a draw at West Liberty University. Those results now bring the teams overall tally to nine wins, ten losses and one draw this spring.
In what was a slow start to the day, the first game remained a stalemate until the eighth inning when The Rock was able to register their first single. The game was at 1-1 until the end of the eleventh innings when Anna Villies put The Rock up 2-1.
In the first seven innings alone, sophomore pitcher Kelsi Anderson struck out seven batters, allowing just four hits and no runs for the Hilltoppers.
The second game of the day eventually left The Rock succumbing to the darkness with the score at 4-4. Freshman pitcher Alexsa Hurd led the team through striking out five batters. Erin Gardner scored two hits, a team high, while Arielle Brown, Mackenzie Freeman, Emma Kennedy and Anna Villies also each hit one run apiece. West Liberty’s pitcher Riley Bennington allowed four runs off of six hits while striking out two batters.
West Liberty, who came into the weekend with sixteen wins this season, proved a tough outfit for The Rock. Yet The Rock still managed to get the result over the line in game one, 5-4, in what was a scintillating contest with fourteen innings being played.
The fashion in which Slippery Rock was able to grind out the results pleased head coach Stacey Rice, who is now in her eighth season as head coach at The Rock.
The Rock, who are yet to compete in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) game this spring, have been picked to finish joint 7th with Clarion University of Pennsylvania in the western division coaches poll. They will host Gannon University on Friday.
