Box Scores
Game 1 - W 4-3
Game 2 - W 15-7 (6 inn.)

SHIPPENSBURG – Senior catcher Alex Schubert belted a two-out, two-run double in the top of the seventh to give East Stroudsburg University a 4-3 win in the opener, and the Warriors exploded for 16 hits in a 15-7 (6 inn.) victory to complete a sweep of Shippensburg in PSAC East softball on Tuesday afternoon.

Seven Warriors had multiple hits in the second game and senior 1B Brittany Zanzalari and freshman 3B Cara McNeil hit home runs to move ESU (11-22, 5-5) to second place in the five-team PSAC East with six games remaining in the division schedule.

The Warriors won the season series over the Lady Raiders, 3-1, for the first time in school history after splitting a doubleheader on March 23. Shippensburg led the all-time series, 77-14-2, entering the season and was 14-2 over the last four seasons.

ESU also had its first doubleheader sweep of the season after splitting five straight series and then dropping a pair over the weekend to No. 5-ranked Kutztown and Slippery Rock.

Sophomore OF Rebecca Smith homered to lead off the opener, but the Warriors trailed 3-2 going to the top of the seventh despite a strong outing from freshman Taylor Webb (7.0 IP, 8 hits, 3 runs), who held Shippensburg (14-20, 4-6) to one run after giving up two in the first.

Smith hit a one-out single in the seventh off Shippensburg reliever Lizzy Parkins, who held the Warriors to one hit in her previous 3.0 innings. Parkins got the second out before walking senior 3B/DP Rachel Gieringer, and Schubert came through with a first-pitch double to right center that brought home the tying and go-ahead runs.

Shippensburg got a two-out base hit in its half of the seventh but couldn't do any more damage as Webb finished her fourth complete game of the season to improve to 5-5.

The Warriors had nine hits in game one and the first four hitters in the order – Smith (2-for-4, RBI, 2 runs), freshman SS Cara Woods (2-for-4, run), Gieringer (1-for-3, run) and Schubert (2-for-4, 2 RBI) combined to go 7-for-15 and accounted for all of the scoring.

That would be a precursor for game two, when the Warriors scored seven runs in the third inning to break open a scoreless game, highlighted by a three-run homer from McNeil.

Shippensburg had a chance to take an early lead in the bottom of the second, but freshman Marianne Wright (4.0 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 0 earned) stranded two runners on base to turn it back over to the offense.

ESU had six hits in the big inning and sent 11 batters to the plate. McNeil, hitting for Woods who left the game due to injury, gave the Warriors a 4-0 lead with her three-run homer. Zanzalari added an RBI double after base hits by Gieringer and Schubert, and freshman SS Jamie Smith also had an RBI single.

Shippensburg got three runs back, all unearned, in the fourth but the Warriors answered with three runs of their own on five hits in the fifth. Schubert started things with a leadoff double and scored on a double by Jamie Smith, while freshman OF Kasey Meckes hit an RBI single to score senior 2B Brandi Stettler, who walked just before Smith's hit. Smith later scored on the front end of a double steal.

Zanzalari hit a two-run homer, her fourth of the year and second in four days, to jump start a five-run sixth that pushed the ESU lead to 15-3. Freshman OF Kacie Killeen also provided a two-run double in the inning.

Shippensburg got four runs on five hits in the sixth to cut the margin to 15-7, but wasn't able to avoid the eight-run deficit at the end of the inning.

ESU posted its second run-rule victory over Shippensburg this season after handing the Lady Raiders an 11-3 (6 inn.) loss in the second half of a doubleheader split at ESU on March 23. The Warriors had 18 hits in that game.

McNeil was 3-for-4 with her fourth homer of the year after filling in for Woods in the No. 2 spot in the order. Gieringer was 2-for-5 with a run, Schubert went 2-for-4 with two runs, Jamie Smith was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run, Meckes went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs and Killeen was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs.

Nine Warriors had at least two hits on the day as they hit .397 (25-for-63) with six doubles and three home runs. McNeil was 4-for-5, including a pinch-hit single in the first game, and Schubert went 4-for-8 with two doubles. Zanzalari also had two extra-base hits with a double and a homer in the second game.

Wright improved to 4-4 with the win and sophomore Amanda McKay pitched the fifth and sixth innings. Wright lowered her ERA to 1.87 in 52.1 innings this season.

The Warriors host Philadelphia University in a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. They return to conference play on Friday at Millersville and split with the Marauders (14-26, 3-7) in their first meeting on March 25.