On Wednesday, Slippery Rock University women’s softball dropped a pair of games against Lock Haven University at Kasnevich Field.
Coming in at 5-3 overall, the early-season doubleheader gave SRU an opportunity to achieve a 7-3 start through their first 10 games. This doubleheader would serve as the home opener for The Rock, as their doubleheader against West Liberty University over the weekend was canceled due to weather.
Game one
Lock Haven maintained control throughout the first half of the game, jumping to a 5-0 lead after four innings as they found their groove on offense. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Kayla Williams had a solid outing for Slippery Rock, pitching five innings while allowing just five hits.
In the fifth inning, The Rock found their footing offensively. After getting two runners on base with two outs in the inning, Slippery Rock finally broke through when Maddie Cavenaugh singled, driving in Jessica Goldhardt and Grace Smith.
Following this, a triple from Shaylyn Shall drove in Cavenaugh, cutting the deficit to 5-3.
A wild pitch would allow Shall to score, making it a one-run game.
SRU head coach Stacey Rice praised the team for their patience and resilience, especially late in the game.
“You stay patient offensively, and finally, you take your cuts and you get that starter out of the game, you force some runs and you take them. That part was really fun to see,” said Rice.
After the fifth inning, relief pitcher Paige Gresgott stepped up and silenced the Lock Haven offense. Through two innings, she faced just eight batters, tossing four strikeouts while giving up zero runs.
Despite the strong pitching, Slippery Rock would be unable to rally in the remaining two innings, falling 5-4.
“They fought really hard and I was really proud of them in game one,” said Rice. “Hoping to go for getting at least the split.”
Game two
The Rock would mitigate the Bald Eagles’ offense.
Starting pitcher Rachel Baker looked strong throughout the first half of the game, keeping Lock Haven to just one run batted in during the top of the second inning.
However, this lead would not last long, as in the bottom of the third, SRU would strike back.
With the bases loaded, Sydney Brown got hit by a pitch, allowing Aubrey Mansfield to score and give Slippery Rock a 2-1 lead.
In the following inning, Shall once again made her presence known, scoring Gabby Perod on a fielder’s choice to widen the lead to 3-1.
As the game advanced into later innings, Baker was pulled at the start of the sixth inning after letting a pair of batters reach base.
Unfortunately, key mistakes from The Rock led to an additional five runs being scored in the sixth inning, stealing the lead and making it a 6-3 game.
After putting the pressure on in the first four innings, The Rock offense went cold.
Slippery Rock would give up two additional runs in the top of the seventh, and Lock Haven would close out the game with an 8-3 victory, sweeping the doubleheader.
“I think more of the reason why game two didn’t go as well is we gave up eleven hits,” said Rice. “I think pitching needs to be a little bit better. I think they would tell you that they were a little lost in it too.”
Despite falling in both contests, the spirits of Slippery Rock and their team culture remained high, a point that Rice remained proud of.
“It is something that we pride ourselves on,” said Rice. “We work really hard at making sure that winning and losing doesn’t define who we are as a team, and that we’re going to continue to grind from the first inning to the seventh.”
“We never give up,” she said. “We also know these games virtually don’t mean a lot to how the whole entire season goes, so although these games are important, and I don’t want to take that lightly, I also know that it is a steady climb. We’re going to continue that.”
On the day, Cavenaugh led the team at the plate, going three-for-seven with two RBI’s, two runs and one walk. Sophomore Alyssa Massucci also had a multi-hit day, going two-for-seven with a pair of singles.
With the pair of losses, Slippery Rock falls to 5-5 overall.
Slippery Rock women’s softball will return to action on Saturday, March 14 against West Liberty University in Salem, Virginia for the MEC/PSAC Crossover, followed by contests against the University of Concord, Shippensburg University and Bowie State University.
