March 20, 2008

Box Score

Salem, Va. - Senior captain Jessica McNurlen had the first two-homer game of her career as the Mercyhurst softball team defeated Shippensburg 4-3 in eight innings Thursday in the first game of the Salem Tournament. McNurlen's second homer was a two-run bomb in the eighth that put the Lakers on top for good.

With the game tied at 2-2 going to extra innings, the international tiebreak rule went into effect, putting a runner at second base to start the inning. McNurlen led off the top of the eighth with a homer to straightaway center to give the Lakers a 4-2 lead.

Shippensburg tried to rally in the bottom of the eighth as Lori Knopf led off the frame with an RBI single but was thrown out by Mercyhurst rightfielder Elizabeth Maier trying to extend it to a double. After a pop out, Sarah Stengl had a two-out single, but Brittany Strier struck out Chelsea Carson to end the game.

McNurlen's other homer put Mercyhurst on top in the first inning as she hit a two-out solo bomb to make it 1-0. Megan Houston followed with a walk and Michelle Schmitz had an RBI double to make it 2-0.

Shippensburg chipped away at the lead with a Liz Good RBI single in the third and a Hope Cornell solo homerun in the fifth. But the Raiders were stymied by Strier over the final three innings in relief of Carrina Crow and were unable to add any more runs.

Crow went the first five innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks. Strier gave up three hits and two walks, striking out four.

Shippensburg falls to 8-11 on the season and Mercyhurst improves to 7-6. The Lakers will play five more games at the Salem Tournament over the weekend.