Good Totals Seven Hits in Tuesday’s Doubleheader Split at Mansfield
Apr. 24, 2007
MANSFIELD, Pa. - Meeting for the fourth time in the last three days, Shippensburg and Mansfield split a doubleheader at Lutes Field Tuesday afternoon with the Mountaineers holding off a Lady Raider comeback for a 4-3 victory in game one before Shippensburg erupted for eight runs in the final three innings of an 11-1 win in game two.
As a result of the split, the Lady Raiders (27-20, 10-10 PSAC East) lost another game on East Stroudsburg for third-place in the Eastern Division. Shippensburg is now two games behind the Warriors with four games remaining in the regular-season with only the top three teams from each division advancing to the PSAC Softball Championship next week at Kutztown.
In the second game, Shippensburg totaled 14 hits, its second-highest output this season, en route to 11 runs. The catalyst for the Lady Raiders came in the form of junior Liz Good (Croydon/Truman) who went a perfect 5-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs. She finished the day 7-for-9.
Amazingly, one year ago tomorrow on Apr. 25, 2006, Heather Chantiles also went 5-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs while batting in the leadoff spot in game one of a doubleheader at Mansfield. That day, Chantiles went 8-for-9 in two Lady Raider victories.
Even further, the Lady Raiders also won that game by a 10-run margin, 12-2.
With Shippensburg leading 3-1 in the top of the fourth, sophomore Chelsea Carson (Shippensburg/Shippensburg) hit her second career home run with a three-run shot to spark a four-run inning for the Lady Raiders.
On April 13, Carson’s first career home run was a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh in a 1-0 victory at homer over Millersville.
Meanwhile, freshman Nicole Henninger (Reading/Muhlenberg) went 3-for-4 to extend her hitting streak to a season-best nine games, one short of Good’s 10-game hit streak from March 10-23 which is the longest on the team this season.
Senior Katie Heatley (York/Dallastown), who will be honored in ceremonies Friday as part of Senior Day, was 2-for-3 and has now reached base safely in eight of her last nine games.
In the circle, junior Dani Shields (Laurel, Del./Sussex Tech) picked up her first victory in her last three starts after no decisions in her previous two. She struck out six and allowed just two hits and one run in four innings before junior Jill Kirby (Glen Mills/Garnet Valley) pitched the final two.
In game one, Mansfield (7-26, 4-14 PSAC East) pitcher Michelle Forsburg limited the Lady Raider offense for the second time in three days despite surrendering 11 hits. On Sunday, Forsburg struck out seven while scattering seven hits and allowing three unearned runs in a 5-3 Mountaineer victory.
Despite totaling 11 hits against Forsburg, Shippensburg was hampered by leaving seven runners on base, including three in the second inning.
Forsburg held Shippensburg to one run on seven hits through five innings while the Mountaineers built a 4-1 lead.
In the bottom of the first, Forsburg helped her own cause with a two-run homer that gave Mansfield a 2-0 lead. She would later score what proved to be the game-winning run on an RBI-double by Jen Stein.
Trailing 4-1 in the bottom sixth, the Lady Raiders would score twice to cut their deficit to one on an RBI-single by sophomore Amanda Bardo (Montoursville/Montoursville) before freshman pinch runner Kiley Abersold (Philipsburg/Philpsburg-Osceola) scored on a Mountaineer error.
After a leadoff single by Good, Forsburg retired the next three Lady Raiders she faced to preserve the one-run victory for Mansfield. Forsburg has been the winning pitcher in all seven of the Mountaineers’ victories this season.
Shippensburg scored its first run in the top of the third when sophomore Rachelle Wedell (Baltimore, Md./Northeast) singled to score Carson who led off the inning with a double.
In the circle for Shippensburg, sophomore Lori Knopf (Crown Point, Ind./Andrean), who was named PSAC Eastern Division Pitcher of the Week on Monday, suffered her first loss in her last five decisions and four starts, allowing seven hits and four earned runs.
Prior to Tuesday, Knopf had totaled 24 strikeouts in 23.0 innings, allowing only 13 hits and one run for a 0.30 ERA in her last four appearances. Her last loss came back on April 6 in game one of a doubleheader at West Chester, 5-2.
Shippensburg returns to action on Friday when its hosts East Stroudsburg in a pivotal PSAC Eastern Division doubleheader at Robb Field on Senior Day beginning at 2:30 p.m. In ceremonies between games, the team will honor its lone senior in Katie Heatley.
- Lady Raider Softball -
