PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (Softball) – Abbi Sparks (FR/Wheelersburg, Ohio)' two-RBI single in the fourth inning gave the Shawnee State softball team a 2-1 advantage over No. 19 Campbellsville, and starter Allie Chapman (SR/Chesapeake, Ohio) held the Lady Tigers to just one run in the first six innings, but a five-run seventh lifted the visitors to a 6-2 win on Friday afternoon at Boone Coleman Field.
Building on the momentum of the seventh inning with, Campbellsville exploded for 15 runs in game two, running away with a, 15-1, five inning victory to complete the doubleheader sweep.
CU got on the board first in game one, when Kendyl Ahrens reached on an error and advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Jacqueline Roof followed with an RBI single up the middle to make it 1-0 in favor of the Lady Tigers.
Two frames later, SSU responded with a two-run fourth inning. An error allowed Jenna Crawford (FR/Franklin Furnace, Ohio) to reach before Hannah Dittoe (JR/Pickerington, Ohio) put runners on the corners with a single. A sac bunt from Morgan McReynolds (FR/Covington, Ohio) put a pair in scoring position, setting up the Sparks single to shallow center field.
The score remained as such until the seventh frame, when the Campbellsville offense came to life. With runners on second and third, Ahrens singled with an RBI bunt, and Shelby Ray knocked in a run with an RBI groundout to give the Lady Tigers the lead. An error brought one more run in and Kristin Benton provided the final damage with a two-RBI double to center field.
SSU went down in order to bring the contest to a close. Despite six strong innings of work, Chapman took the loss for the Bears, going seven innings, while allowing six runs on six hits. The left-hander struck out four and walked a pair. Victoria Decker earned the win for Campbellsville, going seven complete and allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four.
With the CU offense rolling, the visitors jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first two innings of game two. The Lady Tigers collected six hits in those two frames, grabbing RBIs from Erin Benton, Rebecca Miller and a two-RBI single from Markie Smith.
Facing a six-run deficit, SSU got a run in the fourth on a single from McReynolds to plate Crawford, but Campbellsville responded by busting the doors open in the fifth. In what would be the final inning of the game, the Lady Tigers capitalized on four Shawnee State errors and five hits of their own to bring home nine runs, making it 15-1.
Alex Bowers (FR/New London, Ohio) took the loss in 4.1 innings of work, allowing 15 runs, despite seven being of the unearned variety. Bowers struck out one and walked four. Neely Quint went the entirety in the circle for the Lady Tigers allowing just three hits, while striking out five.
The two squads will get back after it with another twinbill scheduled for Saturday at Boone Coleman Field. Originally scheduled to begin at noon, the contests have been pushed back to a 2 p.m. start.
