SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (April 7) – Senior
Emilee Downing (Groveport, Ohio/Groveport Madison) posted a complete-game shutout victory at the SRU Softball Complex on Sunday afternoon, as the California University of Pennsylvania softball team split a doubleheader versus Gannon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action with a 4-0 win in Game 1 before suffering a 5-2 loss in Game 2.
With the split, the Vulcans stand at 8-16 overall with a 4-4 record in league play after playing eight games in six days. Meanwhile, the Lady Knights move to 15-10 this season behind a 4-4 record in divisional action. Gannon entered the season as the preseason favorite in the PSAC West after claiming the conference title last season.
Downing improved to 3-4 this season after allowing zero runs on just three hits with no walks and six strikeouts over 7.0 innings (92 pitches). Downing has now recorded 10 complete games in her career, including four during this campaign. She boasts a 2.37 ERA this year over 44.1 innings pitched in 11 appearances in the circle. Gannon sophomore Kennedy DeMatteis suffered the loss (6-4) after surrendering four runs (all earned) on eight hits with five strikeouts and one walk in 4.0 innings (81 pitches).
The Lady Knights threatened to score in the top of the first inning after a fielding error placed runners on the corners with two outs. Downing would strand both runners on base to close the inning after a foul-out to the second baseman. In the bottom half, sophomore catcher
Brooke Wilson (Coraopolis, Pa./West Allegheny) led off with a double to right-center before junior left fielder
Sierra Besser-Paul (Montreal, Quebec/Howard S. Billings) delivered a two-out RBI single to shallow left field to take a 1-0 advantage. After a scoreless second inning, senior
Taylor Robblee (Woodstock, Ontario/College Avenue) belted a solo homer down the left-field line, her team-leading sixth of the season, to extend the lead to 2-0 in the third. Downing and sophomore right fielder
Janelle Allison (Pleasant Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) followed with singles before a strikeout ended the inning.
In the fourth, sophomore shortstop
Alexa Pastor (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) led off with a single to center field before freshman third baseman
Kaitlyn Corle (Hopewell, Pa./Northern Bedford) reached on a fielder's choice after a force out at second base. With two outs, Corle stole second and Wilson laced an RBI single up the middle before advancing to second on the throw, 3-0. Robblee then recorded a single just beyond the reach of the second baseman, which allowed Wilson to score to stretch the lead to 4-0. In the top of the sixth, Downing had retired 13-straight batters before the Lady Knights snapped the streak with single down the left-field line. The Vulcans would seal the 4-0 victory after setting down the final four batters faced in the game.
Wilson finished 2-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored from the leadoff spot, while Robblee went 2-for-4, including a solo homer, with two RBI. Besser-Paul finished 2-for-3 with one RBI against the Lady Knights.
In Game 2, Gannon once again stranded a pair of runners in the first inning before Wilson was left in scoring position in the bottom half after a leadoff double. Cal U snapped the scoreless drought in the bottom of the third inning with two runs on three hits. With one out, Wilson singled through left side before Robblee launched a two-run opposite field homer, her second of the day, to give the Vulcans a 2-0 lead. Downing followed with a double off the right-field fence before back-to-back outs closed the inning. In the top of the fourth, Gannon countered with an RBI double to trim the deficit to 2-1.
In the fifth, Allison would prevent an extra-base hit on a diving catch down the right-field line before the Lady Knights came up with a diving catch in shallow center field in the bottom half to strand a runner in scoring position. Gannon sophomore Kaity Stocker tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth on a solo homer to left field, her team-leading sixth of the season. The Lady Knights attempted to add to the lead after a single and pair of errors placed two runners in scoring position, but a strikeout kept the game tied. In the seventh, two Gannon batters reached base on a consecutive errors before junior Maria Taliani posted a three-run homer to center field to take a 5-2 advantage. The Vulcans were retired in order in the bottom half, as the Lady Knights secured the win.
Robblee finished 2-for-4, including a two-run homer, while Wilson went 2-for-4 with one run scored.
Robblee suffered the loss (5-6) after yielding five runs (two earned) on eight hits with one walk and six strikeouts over 7.0 innings (112 pitches). She retired the side in order three times and forced 10 ground-outs on Sunday. Lady Knight junior Madi Beining earned the win (7-5) after allowing two runs (all earned) on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts in 7.0 innings (98 pitches).
Cal U returns to action on Friday, April 12, when it travels to play a doubleheader against Seton Hill in nearby Greensburg, Pennsylvania, starting at 3 p.m.
