MANSFIELD, Pa. – To cap off the 2024 season, the Mansfield Mountaineers softball team (13-29, 4-28 PSAC East) faced off against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division opponent Shippensburg University (31-15, 18-12 PSAC East) as the Raiders grabbed game one, 8-0, but the Mounties finished off the season with a 6-4 finale victory.
Head Coach Edith Gallagher reached her 500th career victory today and now the first female coach in Mansfield athletic history to reach this mark.
GAME 1: Shippensburg 8 – Mansfield 0
Shippensburg made quick work in the first inning, sending two across home plate to hold the 2-0 edge after one inning.
An RBI single sent another run across to give the Raiders the 3-0 lead after three innings.
Across the final three innings, Shippensburg put together runs in each half inning, posting five final runs to give the Raiders the 8-0 game one victory.
Four hits were collected by the Mounties, with Anastasia Berardi, Gabby Drumm, Kayla Vonstein, and Carly Wywoda all collecting one a piece.
GAME 2: Mansfield 6 – Shippensburg 4
Mansfield exploded out of the gate, forcing two pitching changes by the Raiders in just the first inning.
In a stunning first inning, the Mounties fired out five runs to start out with a large advantage off a Fallon Kelley three run shot and two run double by Wywoda. Kelley's team leading fourth home run scored Vonstein and Melissa Demo and Wywoda drove in Sarah Shupp and Aubrey Reinert to give Mansfield the 5-0 head start.
Shippensburg posted their first run of the game in the top of the fourth inning.
Demo sent an RBI double to left field, scoring Madison Bailey to grab the 6-1 lead.
To end the top of the fifth inning, Bailey saved a scary position after a smack went off another fielder, but the second baseman stopped the chance of bases loaded situation getting worse, as Shippensburg only capitalized with one run.
Shippensburg's added two more runs in the sixth inning, but this was not enough to stop the Mounties who were fueled to grab Coach Gallagher's 500th career victory as Mansfield grabbed game two with a final score of 6-4.
