EDINBORO, Pa. – The Maura Pasquale hit parade continued with an opposite field home run in game two, allowing the Fighting Scots to split their Saturday afternoon doubleheader against Slippery Rock.

Starting pitcher and redshirt freshman Macy Sral (Lilly, Pa./Penn Cambria) struck out the second batter of the inning, and went three up three down in the opening half.

Redshirt freshman Cheyenne Shughart (Shermansdale, Pa./West Perry) started defensively at first base and got aboard via single in the bottom of the second, but ultimately got stranded.

Sral added another strikeout to open the second inning, then fielded a ground ball in the circle and flipped the ball to first base for the out. A ground ball ended the half inning.

Freshman catcher Morgan Spitler (Lucas, Ohio/Lucas) walked to get to first, then an error allowed starting right fielder freshman Lauren Bush (Painesville, Ohio/Riverside) to reach.

Sral kept cruising through the top of the third inning, inducing three outs in as many at bats.

Graduate student Lauren Gierlak (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane) put a ball in play on a full count in the bottom of the third, grounding a ball to second resulting in a Rock error. Freshamn Maura Pasquale (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) sacrifice bunted to move Gierlak to second, but the Fighting Scots were unable to push a run across.

The Rock lead-off hitter, Erin Gardner, reached on a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt.

Slippery Rock scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning.

Freshman Stephanie Krick (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) put a ball in play to shortstop with two outs in the bottom of the fourth and got on board via fielding error.

Freshman speedster Nya Adams (Finleyville, Pa./Ringgold) singled up the middle to continue the Edinboro two-out threat, bringing Gierlak to the plate. She worked a long count, walked, then Pasquale knocked in three runs on a deep double to center that gave Edinboro a 3-2 lead.

Freshman Kearson Wagner (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley) pinch ran for Shughart and swiped second base, but the lead would stick at one as the Slippery Rock left fielder made a dazzling diving catch on a shallow hit to the outfield.

Pasquale flashed the leather at the start of the fifth as she picked a ground ball with her backhand and fired it to first for the out. Sral got the second out at first before a runner reached and freshman Jade Renner (Wind Ridge, Pa./West Greene) entered the game to pitch. Renner worked out of the jam.

Adams batted a ball in the bottom of the sixth inning that was dropped by the Rock second baseman. She was then caught stealing on a hit-and-run attempt. Gierlak then worked another walk to take first.

A Pasquale double scored Gierlak from first base to make the score 4-2 in favor of Edinboro.

Redshirt freshman Dylan Claycomb (Roaring Spring, Pa./Central) entered the game in relief in the bottom of the seventh as the leadoff hitter for Slippery Rock tripled to open the frame. A run scored on fielder's indifference. A lined shot down the left field line scored a Rock run and the game was tied at four.

Maggie Moore singled in the top of the seventh inning to bring two in to score and Slippery Rock took the lead 6-4.

Redshirt freshman Mackenzie Quider (Sanborn, N.Y./Niagara Wheatfield) hit a single to start the bottom half, when Freshman Morgan Donnell (Waterford, Pa. Fort LeBoeuf) checked in to pinch run. She advanced to second on a Spitler single, bringing Bush to the plate and freshman Julia Santangelo (Streetsboro, Ohio/Streetsboro) in to pinch run for the catcher.

Despite the Edinboro rally, The Rock took game one by a 6-4 final.

GAME TWO

Bush took the circle for the Scots in the late afternoon game and made quick work of the top half of the inning. She struck out one batter in the frame.

The second started in similar fashion with Bush striking out the first batter of the inning. A ball found the right-field grass due to fielding error, and The Rock moved their runner to second. Bush then recorded her third strikeout of the game and got the groundout to end the first.

Shugart led off the bottom of the second with an opposite field double to right field. She then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Quider walked, then Wagner hit a single that scored Shughart and Edinboro went on top, 1-0.

A sacrifice bunt moved a runner into scoring position for The Rock, and a shallow fly into right field allowed them to tie the game at one run a piece. Bush struck one out to get the final out of the inning and limit the damage.

Bush hit a single to right field to open the bottom of the third, then Adams got to first on a fielder's choice. Adams moved to third after stealing a second on a hard-hit grounder to second by Gierlak.

Pasquale put the Scots up 3-1 with an opposite field home run that scored Adams.

Slippery Rock got a run back in the top of the fourth, despite a strong throw to home from centerfielder Gierlak. Still, Edinboro led 3-2 as Bush got out of the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth Mackenzie Quider doubled but failed to hold the bag and was tagged out as a result.

Bush would exit in the bottom of the fifth after working out of a jam in the top of the fifth.

Gierlak reached in the bottom on a hard hit ball to second that resulted in error, bringing up the red-hot Pasquale who legged out an infield single.

Bush then re-entered to pitch starting the sixth inning. She struck out another batter in the top of the sixth, then shut the door in the final inning.

Edinboro took the game two final 3-2.

Notes: Pasquale came into game one Saturday with the fourth-highest batting average (.468) in the PSAC.

Pasquale had the eighth-highest on-base percentage (0.519) in the PSAC.

Shughart came into game one Saturday with the 16^th-highest batting average (.417) in the PSAC.

Gierlak came into game one with the eighth-most stolen bases (10) in the PSAC.



Edinboro is scheduled to host IUP Friday April 16 with game one set for 1 p.m.