Box Scores
Game 1 - W 11-9
Game 2 - L 18-10 (6 inn.)

MANSFIELD – East Stroudsburg University outslugged Mansfield for an 11-9 win in the first game, before the Mounties posted an 18-10 (6 inn.) win in the nightcap to split Saturday's non-conference softball doubleheader at Helen Lutes Field.

The Warriors (8-17) scored at least 10 runs in both ends of a doubleheader for the first time since 2007. Mansfield's (13-6) 18 runs in the second game are the most allowed by an ESU team in school history.

ESU had 24 hits between the two games, led by two home runs each from senior C Alex Schubert and senior DP Rachel Gieringer, who moved into second in school history with 15 career home runs.

Schubert was 5-for-7 in the twinbill and 4-for-4 with two homers in the opener. Gieringer was 6-for-9 on the day with three doubles, two homers, eight RBI and four runs scored, going 3-for-5 with a double, homer and three RBI in the first game and 3-for-5 with two doubles, a homer and five RBI in the second game.

The Warriors scored in each of the first six innings in game 1 and took the lead for good in the fifth inning. They trailed 9-7 going into the frame, but scored three runs on four hits – including an RBI single by freshman OF Cara Woods and the go-ahead single by Gieringer – to take a 10-9 lead.

Schubert pushed the lead to 11-9 with a solo homer in the sixth. Her battery mate, sophomore Laura Suits, came on in relief in the third inning and limited Mansfield to two runs in 4.1 innings. She blanked the Mounties over the final three innings, stranding four runners on base.

In game 2, ESU took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, only to see Mansfield score seven runs – all unearned – in the bottom of the inning. The Mounties built their lead to 14-3 through four innings before the Warriors scored five in the fifth to hold off the eight-run rule for one more frame. Gieringer highlighted the inning with a three-run homer and Schubert added an RBI double.

ESU cut the deficit to 15-10 by taking advantage of two Mansfield errors to score two runs in the sixth, but Mansfield ended the game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth concluding with an RBI single by Chara Dixon.

Leadoff hitter Stephanie Simmith was 5-for-5 with four RBI and two runs and No. 3 hitter Kate Pratt was 3-for-5 with six RBI, including a homer, to lead the Mansfield offense in the second game. Courtney Bauder also added a solo home run. Pratt was 6-for-8 with eight RBI and six runs in the doubleheader.

The Warriors had 15 hits in game 1 and nine hits in game 2. Five players had multi-hit games in the opener in Schubert (4-for-4, 3 RBI, 2 runs), Gieringer (3-for-5, 3 RBI, 2 runs), sophomore OF Rebecca Smith (2-for-5, 2 runs), Woods (2-for-4, RBI, 3 runs) and freshman SS Jamie Smith (2-for-4, RBI, run).

Woods was 1-for-2 and scored four runs in the No. 2 hole for ESU in the second game. Freshman 3B Cara McNeil was 2-for-4.

ESU has three home doubleheaders this week, beginning with a non-league contest against Bloomfield on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. The Warriors host Kutztown in PSAC East action on Friday at 2:30 p.m. and Slippery Rock in non-conference action on Saturday at 1 p.m.

GAME NOTES
* Gieringer moved into 2nd in school history in career home runs with 15. Jen Veronesi hit a school-record 18 home runs from 2004-07.
* Schubert, in her second season at ESU, ranks 10th with 8 home runs.
* ESU was 24-for-63 (.381) and had a .423 on-base percentage and .683 slugging percentage in the doubleheader. The Warriors had 11 extra-base hits – 4 homers and 7 doubles.
* Mansfield was 25-for-63 (.397) and had a .500 on-base percentage and .619 slugging percentage.