KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University softball team had been on a tear as of late, but hit a road block with its latest opponent, Shippensburg University. After splitting two games on Thursday, the Raiders used their bats to take both games on Friday, 11-2 and 8-2, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division doubleheader at North Campus Field.
 
Shippensburg (15-13 overall, 13-11 PSAC) recorded 12 hits in each game, outhitting the Golden Bears (19-7, 16-6) 24-11 combined.
 
Seniors Jenna Lipowski (Nanticoke, Pa./Greater Nanticoke Area) and Alyssa Donato (Cedarville, N.J./Cumberland Regional) each had two hits for KU on the day, both had solo homeruns.
 
Sarah Harvey (Swanton, Vt./Missisquoi Valley Union) came on in relief in both games and pitched well. Over the course of the two games she threw 13 innings of relief, allowed six earned runs and struck out eight, coming in to the game after early starters were hit around.
 
Kutztown will make up previously postponed games at Mansfield University on Monday, April 12, beginning at 2 p.m. KU took both games against the Mounties last weekend.
 
Shippensburg 11, Kutztown 2
 
A six-run inning just as KU took the field put it in a giant hole to overcome. Shippensburg batted around, sending 10 hitters to the plate, recording five hits, including three doubles and a homerun to stake a 6-0 lead before Kutztown was even able to swing a bat. The Raiders would add another run in the second to ahead by seven.
 
The Golden Bears got on the scoreboard in fourth inning thanks to a solo homerun to right center field by Lipowski and an RBI single to center by Harvey, scoring Donato.
 
The Raiders scored four more runs in the top of the seventh to pad their lead to 11-2.
 
Bridget Bailey (Norwood, Pa./Interboro) suffered the loss inside the circle, her first of the year, dropping her record to 10-1.
 
Shippensburg 8, Kutztown 2
 
Just as in game one, Shippensburg jumped out to an early lead. Ship scored two runs in each of the first two innings to take a 4-0 advantage. KU responded with a run in the bottom of the second inning, Donato's homerun, her third this season.
 
The Raiders then answered once again with a run in both the fourth and fifth innings, followed by two in the sixth to go up 8-1. Freshman Hannah Reimel (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) ripped an RBI single to left field for KU's second and final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
Shippensburg pitcher Brianna Small was credited with the victory in both games. She came on in relief in the fourth inning of game one to close it out and then started game two and went the distance, allowing just the two runs and striking out eight KU batters.