Softball swept in home-opening DH vs Shippensburg

Salisbury, N.C. —- The Catawba College softball team made its delayed debut in front of the home crowd at Whitley Field on Monday afternoon, falling in both ends of a doubleheader versus Shippensburg.

GAME ONE | Shippensburg 13, Catawba 1 - 5 innings

TEAM STATISTICS

- Shippensburg out-hit Catawba 12-8

- The Raiders had four of six extra-base hits; Shippensburg had all three home runs

- Catawba committed the lone error in game one

- The Catawba Indians left five runners on base; the Raiders stranded eight

- Both teams recorded a stolen base

- Shippensburg's starting pitcher allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk; Catawba's staff allowed 13 runs on 12 hits and six walks, striking out two

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Kary Hales was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored

- Brianna Gallagher added two hits with a run scored

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST INNING

- Shippensburg got on the board in the first on a one-out homer from Lindsey Haser

SECOND INNING

- Emily Laffery's sac fly doubled the Raider lead in the second

THIRD INNING

- Shippensburg scored nine runs in the third inning off of a two-run homer, a three-run homer, two separate RBI singles and a two-RBI single to lead 11-0 after three

FOURTH INNING

- Catawba got on the board in the fourth, when Christina Brendle laced a two-out, RBI double to left center to score Hales

FIFTH INNING

- Shippensburg added to its lead in the fifth with back-to-back RBI base hits

- With two on and two out, Hales lifted a double to deep left center to score two to ignite the Catawba offense

- Maddy Altiers added an RBI single up the middle to cut the deficit to 13-4

GAME TWO | Shippensburg 6, Catawba 5

TEAM STATISTICS

- Catawba out-hit Shippensburg 11-6

- The Catawba Indians had six of seven extra-base hits in the game

- Catawba committed all three errors in game two

- Catawba's pitchers allowed five earned runs on six hits and seven walks, striking out three; Shippensburg's staff allowed five earned runs on 11 hits and a walk, striking out two

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Gallagher went 4-for-4 with two homers, a double, three RBI and three runs scored

- Altiers homered and singled

- Molly Strider added two hits

- Kate Holland did not allow a run over her two hitless innings of work

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST INNING

- Gallagher got the scoring starter with a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the first

SECOND INNING

- Altiers led off with a solo bomb to extend the Catawba lead to 2-0

THIRD INNING

- Shippensburg loaded the bases with one out in the third and walked home a run, but Catawba limited the damage from there, just allowing the one run

- Hales answered with an RBI double in the bottom half to keep the Catawba lead at two runs

FOURTH INNING

- An RBI groundout and an RBI single tied the game for the Raiders in the fourth

FIFTH INNING

- An RBI triple and a sac fly put Shippensburg in front, 5-3, in the fifth

- Gallagher responded, going low in the zone to launch her second homer of the game to tie the game again at 5

SIXTH INNING

- Shippensburg beat out a double play to score the go-ahead run with the bases loaded in the sixth

SEVENTH INNING

- Gallagher doubled in the seventh and got moved over to 60 feet away from the tying run with two outs in the seventh, but the Raiders got the out to earn the doubleheader sweep

GAME NOTES

- Gallagher's fifth and sixth homers in her last five games; she leads the league with six homers, double the most by a non-Catawba player (Altiers ranks second with four homers)

UP NEXT

- Catawba returns to Whitley Field, weather pending, on Wednesday for a doubleheader with UNC Pembroke at 1 and 3 p.m.