Stellar Pitching Leads Lady Raiders to 22nd-Straight Win

April 9, 2005

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Solid starting pitching led the Shippensburg University softball team to a doubleheader sweep of West Chester University, 8-0 and 3-1, Saturday afternoon at Robb Sports Complex. The Lady Raiders received stellar pitching performances from freshmen Jill Kirby (Glen Mills, Pa./Garnet Valley) and Danielle Shields (Laurel, Del./Sussex Tech).

Shippensburg (31-1, 14-0 PSAC East), who is currently ranked at No. 5 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Poll, has won 22-straight games and is two wins away from breaking the school record for consecutive wins set by last year's team at 23.

Kirby (2-0) allowed only two hits in a five-inning shutout in game one, and Shields closed out a start from junior Kelley Tiesi (Baltimore, Md./Catholic School of Baltimore) by allowing an unearned run over the final four innings of game two.

Both games featured the Lady Raiders racing out to early leads in the first inning.

Senior Anna Corr (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) opened the scoring in the first game for Shippensburg by doubling home two runs. Senior Jamie Dacey (Langhorne, Pa./Archbishop Wood) followed that hit with her 10th triple on the season, breaking the previous school record of nine held by Melissa Laing.

The Lady Raiders would add two more runs to give them a 5-0 lead after one inning.

In the bottom of the third inning, senior Amanda Collins (Pasadena, Md./Archbishop Spalding) belted a three-run home run to left field, giving the Lady Raiders an 8-0 lead that would stand through the conclusion of the game in the fifth inning.

In the second game, Shippensburg took an early 3-0 lead off a home run from Anna Corr in the bottom of the first inning, butwould not total another hit for the rest of the game, as Golden Ram starter Adina Dehainaut pitched a complete game three-hitter for West Chester.

West Chester attempted a late-rally after Tara Colantuono scored an unearned run in the top of the sixth, but Shields shut the Golden Rams down to notch her second save of the season.

Senior Liz Corr (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) scored two runs on the day for the Lady Raiders, putting her in a tie with Heather Bankert for the Shippensburg school record for career runs with 154.

The Lady Raiders will travel to Kutztown University to face off against the Golden Bears on Wednesday, April 13 in a doubleheader beginning at 2:30 p.m. Shippensburg defeated Kutztown 8-4 and 3-1 in the first meeting between the two teams on March 25.

- Lady Raider Softball -