Box Scores / Photo Gallery
L 5-1 / L 4-2

EAST STROUDSBURG – Freshman pitcher Laura Suits kept East Stroudsburg University in both games before PSAC East leader Shippensburg broke it open late, coming away with 5-1 and 4-2 wins in Friday's doubleheader at Zimbar Field.

The Lady Raiders, who clinched the PSAC East regular season title on Thursday, got home runs from its two sluggers, Hope Cornell in the sixth inning of game one and Courtney Steele in the fifth inning of game two, to end ESU's playoff chances. The Warriors had made four straight conference tournaments entering this season, the longest stretch in school history.

Suits got the start in both games, throwing a complete game in the opener and yielding to freshman Amanda McKay in the fourth inning of the nightcap. She held Shippensburg to two hits through the first 5.0 innings of the first game but Cornell went deep with two outs to give the Lady Raiders (27-11, 13-3) a 3-1 lead, and they tagged on two more runs in the seventh.

ESU (12-21, 3-11) took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI double by senior Brittany Racek, driving in sophomore Kaitlin Blum who was pinch-running for senior 1B Angela Huggins. The Warriors outhit Shippensburg 8-6, led by 2-for-4 games from Racek, junior 3B Rachel Gieringer and senior OF Alicea Ashe, but stranded a total of 10 runners on base against Chelsea Kendall.

In the second game, freshman OF Rebecca Smith doubled to open the first inning and scored on a two-out single up the middle by Ashe to give the Warriors a 1-0 advantage. Shippensburg once again managed just two hits off Suits in the early going, but sent nine batters to the plate in the fourth inning to take a 3-1 lead.

Steele tagged a solo homer in the fifth inning for an insurance run, which the Lady Raiders nearly need after ESU put together a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Junior SS Pam Sellers was 3-for-3 in the nightcap and led off the seventh with a base hit. After a pair of outs, Smith drew a walk and senior C Samantha Capriotti drove in Sellers with a base hit to put the tying run on base, but Kendall got the final out to secure the save. Kendall (1.1 IP) relieved Emily Estep (5.2 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 6 strikeouts), who improved to 15-2 but left due to injury in the sixth inning.

Suits threw a total of 10.2 innings on the day, giving up eight runs on 10 hits with nine strikeouts and five walks. McKay tossed the final 3.1 innings of the second game, allowing seven hits but just one run in her first appearance since March 26 at Kutztown.

Three Warriors had three hits on the day – Ashe and Sellers were 3-for-6 and Gieringer went 3-for-8. Sellers, Gieringer, Racek and Smith all had doubles as part of ESU's 15 hits.

ESU will host Millersville on Senior Day on Sunday at 2 p.m. – the doubleheader was originally scheduled for Saturday but has been postponed due to anticipated inclement weather.