The Shippensburg softball team played their first series of the season as they hosted Fairmont State on Feb. 10 and 11. After the Falcons walked grad student Hannah Marsteller, who already had a grand slam in the game, junior Morgan Lindsay hit the walk off base hit and scored, which brought the winning run home.
The Raiders won game number three of the series on Saturday and each team grabbed two games in the series.
In game number one on Friday, neither team was able to get a run across until the sixth inning. Marsteller reached base on a fielder’s choice. Junior Taylor Myers scored, and the Raiders took a 1-0 lead.
Later in the inning, Marsteller scored after freshman Caitlyn Martell reached first base on an error, and the Raiders extended their lead 2-0.
The Raiders scored three more runs in the sixth inning when Martell, sophomore Ally Weaver and junior Alyssa Nehlen scored. The Raiders took the first game of the series 5-0.
In the second game of Friday’s double header, the Falcons scored in the second inning when Mackenzie Maddy hit a triple to center field. One runner scored, and the Falcons won the second game of the series 1-0.
On Saturday, the two teams went back at it again. In the second inning, Marsteller hit a grand slam to give the Raiders a quick 4-0 lead. Later in the inning, the Raiders scored two more runs and had a 6-0 advantage going into the third.
The Falcons responded with five runs in the fourth inning with multiple base hits, which brought in runs. The Falcons closed the gap and trailed by only one run.
In the fifth inning, the Falcons tied the game 6-6 when Abbie Keilholz hit a single up the middle and scored a run.
The game went into extra innings in the eighth inning Peyton Wetherholt hit a double one run scored the Falcons grabbed a 7-6 lead in the eighth inning. Later in the inning Elizabeth Waszkiewicz hit a double which allowed Wetherholt to score. The Raiders found themselves down by two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Lindsay hit a single up the middle two runs scored, and the Raiders tied the game at 8-8.
The game remained tied until the tenth inning when Lindsay hit the walk off base hit. The Raiders beat the Falcons 9-8.
In the final game of the weekend, the Falcons scored three runs in the first inning with a three-run home run from Abbie Keilholz.
The Raiders responded with two runs in the second inning. The Falcons scored two runs in the top of the second inning to extend their lead to 5-2.
The Raiders scored a run in the fourth inning to cut the deficit, but it wasn’t enough. The Raiders lost the second game 6-3.
The Raiders will travel to Hartsville, South Carolina, to play Adelphi and Coker on Feb. 24 and 25.
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