EDINBORO, Pa. – The Mercyhurst College softball team split with Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West rival Edinboro University today, April 15. The Lakers controlled most of the first game but came up short in the bottom of the eighth inning. Mercyhurst bounced back in game two with a 4-2 win.

Junior Emily Redig was involved in all three runs scored on today's first contest as she scored twice and drove in a run. Freshman Courtney Smith registered two hits for two RBI while senior Kara Gorgos went 2-4 with a run scored.

Senior Amanda Norman gave up one hit in the first inning which led to a run but settled down pitching five scoreless innings. Norman ran into trouble in the bottom of the seventh inning when she gave up a leadoff single. Two batters later Edinboro's Brittney Price hit a homerun to send the game into extra innings. 

The Boro' loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the eighth inning facing the Lakers freshman Megan Smith. Smith then registered two outs, getting the first batter to pop out and striking out the next. With two-outs the Fighting Scots Price struck again when she belted a line drive over the right fielders head for the walk-off single.  

Megan Smith suffers the loss her second of the season. Amanda Shields of Edinboro takes the win after pitching all eight innings.

During game two Mercyhurst jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after junior Samantha Eimers hit her 14^th homer of the season. The game then turned into a pitcher's duel with sophomore Megan Hopton throwing five shutout innings while Edinboro's Kari Falk threw four zeros on the board.

Edinboro finally struck in the bottom of the fourth off of a two-run double that tied the game at 2-2. Sydney Cuscino homered in the top of the sixth inning giving the Lakers a 3-2 lead heading into the seventh inning. The homer marks Cuscino's first of the season. The Lakers leftfielder, Eimers added some insurance in the top of the seventh after doubling to left center. 

Hopton retired the side in the bottom of the seventh to help the Lakers to a 4-2 win and pick up her eighth win of the season. Falk was credited with the loss.

With the split the Lakers hold a 7-7 PSAC West conference record. California (Pa.) locked up the No.1 spot in the conference. The Golden Knights of Gannon University split with California (Pa.) and now hold a 7-9 conference record. Tomorrow's double header against Slippery Rock University will determine the future of three of the teams in the west conference. Two-of-the three teams Gannon, Slippery Rock, or Mercyhurst will advance to the PSAC West playoffs with one team being left out.

The twinbill against Slippery Rock will begin tomorrow, April 16 at 1 p.m. Come support your Lakers as they make their playoff push.