QUAKERTOWN, Pa. — The East Stroudsburg University softball team earned an 8-0 run-rule victory over Slippery Rock on Friday to advance to the final day of the PSAC Championship, moving one win away from capturing the tournament title.

The Warriors (45-9-1) tallied eight hits, drew five walks, and consistently put the ball in play to score in bunches. With the win, ESU advances to Championship Saturday. Slippery Rock (29-20) isn't done yet, as it will face Shepherd in an elimination game at 3 p.m. Friday (Shepherd won 8-2).
 
Notables
With strong run support behind her, Sarah Davenport delivered a dominant performance in the circle, nearly perfect for the third time this season, allowing just one hit, and still only facing 15 batters, as the runner was out on the basepaths.

Delaney Ridgell and Abigail Weirich each posted two hits. Weirich drove in a run, while Ridgell collected two RBIs, tying Weirich's single-season RBI record set earlier this year.
 
How it happened
ESU opened the scoring with three runs in the first inning, sparked by RBI singles from Weirich and Kinsley Proepper.

After a quiet second inning, the Warriors struck again in the third with back-to-back RBI doubles by Ridgell and Katie Master. Weirich added another RBI double in the fourth — her third straight game with an RBI double — extending the lead to 6-0.

In the fifth, Maddy Pritchard and Shannon Edelman worked back-to-back walks with Kylie Ingram and Vanessa Morales entering as pinch runners. With Taylor Lipkins at the plate she put the ball in play and the two pinch runners capitalized, with Morales scoring from first and Ingram from second to seal the walk-off win via run rule.
 
Up next
The Warriors return to action at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, facing the winner of the Slippery Rock vs. Shepherd game (Shepherd won 8-2). If ESU wins, the Warriors will be crowned PSAC champions for the first time since 1980. A loss would force a decisive championship game at 1:30 p.m.

Scouting Shepherd

Shepherd enters the game on a three-game winning streak following its loss to ESU, with impressive wins over Bloomsburg (3–2), nationally ranked Kutztown (10–2), and Slippery Rock (8–2). The Rams, who joined the PSAC in the 2019–20 season, are seeking their first conference championship since capturing the now-defunct West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title in 2007. This will be the sixth meeting between these two teams, in the previous five games the Warriors lead the season series 3-1-1.

(from Wednesday's preview)
"The Rams are led by their three All-PSAC East selections—third baseman Lauren Moore, utility player/pitcher Madelyn Chambers, and Pitcher of the Year Madelayne Ruffner.

Moore leads the conference in batting average (.425), ranks eighth in slugging percentage (.673), sixth in OPS (1.137), fifth in hits (65) and third in doubles (17).

On the mound, Ruffner paces the PSAC with a 0.79 ERA, is second in strikeouts (276), and sixth in innings pitched (142.1).

Chambers adds offensive depth with a .382 batting average and six triples, which ranks sixth in the PSAC.

Shepherd is coached by Marissa Leslie, who has guided the Rams to multiple NCAA postseason appearances and a 24-20-1 record this season."