Lock Haven Takes Doubleheader Sweep Over Slippery Rock, 5-4 and 8-7

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — Lock Haven made the most of its home field Wednesday afternoon, rallying past Slippery Rock in both ends of a doubleheader at Lawrence Field to complete a sweep of the visiting Rockets, 5-4 in eight innings and 8-7 in seven. The Bald Eagles improved to 28-20 on the season, while Slippery Rock fell to 25-15.

Game 1: Lock Haven 5, Slippery Rock 4 (8 innings)

It took a full eight innings, but Lock Haven found a way to survive a late Slippery Rock push and hand Rockets freshman Rachel Baker her 14th loss of the season.

Slippery Rock appeared to have control of the contest after a three-run fourth inning staked them to a 3-1 lead. The big blow came from A. Mansfield, who singled up the middle with the bases loaded to plate two runs, capping a rally that also featured an RBI hit-by-pitch from S. Shall and a walk drawn by M. Cavenaugh to load the bases off starter Keiva Middleton. Middleton was lifted after recording just one out in the inning, handing the ball to Faith Persing.

Lock Haven chipped away methodically against Baker, who went the distance but was touched for 12 hits. Hailey Irwin provided the Bald Eagles' most thunderous blow in the third — a solo home run to left-center that briefly made it a 1-0 Lock Haven game. Olivia LaMeau picked up three RBI on the day, including a key single to right-center in the sixth that scored Blaire Balestrini and cut the deficit to 4-3.

The Bald Eagles tied it in the seventh when Maci Brodzina doubled to right-center and scored on Marissa Horn's single to right. Horn finished 3-for-4 with an RBI. The winning run came across in the eighth on an LaMeau single to left that scored Balestrini, who had been placed at second to begin the inning under tiebreaker rules.

Sarah Brown was the offensive standout for Slippery Rock, going 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI, including a two-out run-scoring double down the left-field line in the seventh that briefly gave the Rockets a 4-3 edge. Persing earned the win in relief, finishing 4.2 innings and scattering four hits while striking out two.

Game 2: Lock Haven 8, Slippery Rock 7

The nightcap was a slugfest from the opening pitch, with Lock Haven storming to a 4-0 lead through two innings and never fully relinquishing control, even as Slippery Rock mounted repeated charges.

Lock Haven jumped on Slippery Rock starter P. Gresgott immediately. In the first, Hailey Irwin doubled and eventually scored on a pair of wild pitches, and Faith Persing doubled to right field to plate another run. Gresgott was chased in the second after allowing four earned runs total across two innings, unable to consistently locate the strike zone.

K. Williams replaced Gresgott and kept Lock Haven off the board for two innings, but the Bald Eagles broke through again in the fourth. Persing laced a two-run double down the left-field line — aided by a Slippery Rock error — and scored on a Madison Hardy single to cap a three-run frame that pushed the lead to 7-4.

Slippery Rock refused to fold. A four-run third inning turned the complexion of the game, highlighted by a two-run home run from S. Shall — her shot to right field also scoring J. Pelles, who had doubled to open the inning. A. Massucci added an RBI sacrifice fly and Grace Smith contributed a run-scoring single in that rally. The Rockets also scratched out two more in the fifth on an A. Mansfield sacrifice fly and a Smith RBI single to left.

But Lock Haven's lead held. Marissa Horn delivered the decisive blow in the sixth, singling up the middle with two outs to score pinch runner Kaleigh Brodzina and extend the lead to 8-7. Keiva Middleton closed out the final two frames, striking out two batters in the seventh to preserve the win.

Lock Haven's ability to manufacture runs late — and get timely contributions throughout the lineup — proved to be the difference in both games. Slippery Rock had opportunities but left 12 runners on base in Game 1 and struggled to answer when it mattered most in the nightcap. The Bald Eagles have now won four of their last five and look increasingly dangerous heading into the stretch run.