ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst University softball team split a doubleheader at the Mercyhurst Softball Field in Erie, Pa. against Slippery Rock Sunday afternoon. The Lakers' [13-23, 7-14 PSAC]
Cassandra Egelston and
Alissa Petrosoniak led the Lakers in game one, producing six RBIs combined – three each, to win game one, 8-2. Game two of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division series saw Slippery Rock [14-18, 11-11 PSAC] pull out the victory, 5-2.
Slippery Rock struck first in the second inning of game one as an RBI double by first basemen Stacey Herzog drove in the runner from second to give Slippery Rock a 1-0 lead. On the next at-bat, catcher Lauren Hawley drove Herzog in to score with an RBI single to center. The Slippery Rock lead sat at 2-0.
Mercyhurst answered back in a big way in the next half inning. After leadoff double by
Courtney Brothers,
Rachel DiBartolomeo tripled to right field to bring Brothers home and knot the game up, 1-1.
Shannon Minihane took a pitch to center field for an RBI double to give the Lakers their first lead of the game, 2-1. Egelston added a RBI single of her own to score Minihane and increase their lead to two. Petrosoniak joined the hit parade as she took a pitch deep for a two run homerun to push the Laker lead to 5-2. It was her second long ball of the season.
Starting pitcher
Annie Truelove kept the Lakers on cruise control for the rest of the game, allowing only five hits over the final five innings of play. The Mercyhurst offense added some insurance runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings as Egelston ripped a solo homerun to lead off the fourth and added an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth. It was Egelston's first career collegiate homerun. Petrosoniak would also add an RBI base hit in the bottom of the fifth, to give the Lakers an 8-2 lead.
Truelove [5-12] earned the win in game one, pitching a complete seven innings and allowing just two runs. Carly DeRose received the loss for Slippery Rock, moving her record to 8-9 for the season.
Game two saw the Lakers struggle to carry over the offensive groove from the first outing as they fell 5-2 to The Rock.
Slippery Rock broke the scoreless tie in the top of the second when Herzog took a pitch from Truelove to deep right center for a three run homerun. Slippery Rock took the early lead, 3-0.
Herzog hit her second homerun of the game, a solo shot, in the top of the sixth to push the Slippery Rock lead to 4-0. An RBI single by Taylor Welch gave Slippery Rock a 5-0 lead heading to the bottom of the sixth.
The Mercyhurst offense was held to just two hits over the first six innings before DiBartolomeo took a pitch deep for a two run homer in the bottom of the seventh to bring the Lakers within three runs. For DiBartolomeo, it was her team-leading fourth homerun of the year. However, that was as close as the Lakers would get as Slippery Rock held on for the 5-2 win.
Truelove received the loss for game two, dropping her record to 5-13. Brooke Dawson recorded the win for Slippery Rock, improving her record to 5-6 on the season.
Mercyhurst's next game is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, at home for another PSAC Western Division doubleheader against California [Pa.]. First-pitch is slated for 2:30 p.m.
By Matthew Brancato
