CLARION, Pa. --- Going toe-to-toe with one of the top-ranked teams in the PSAC West division, the Golden Eagle softball team split a doubleheader with Slippery Rock on Friday afternoon. Clarion won the first game of the day 3-0 before falling in an 11-inning nightcap by a 6-5 score.
 
With the win in the first game, the Golden Eagles clinched the season series with The Rock. Clarion previously swept a doubleheader at Slippery Rock in March.
 
Clarion 3, Slippery Rock 0
Recap: Starting pitcher Emma Hipps threw her third complete-game shutout of the season to open the day, limiting the Rock to just three hits and generally keeping the basepaths clean throughout the game. The freshman did not allow a hit until the fourth inning and let just one Rock baserunner even advance to second base, when Julianna Hutchinson advanced on a sacrifice bunt in the third.
 
A big moment came in the top of the fourth inning, after the Rock got their first hit of the game. Alexsa Hurd led off the inning with a single and attempted to steal second base with one out, but Brooke McCanna nailed her on the attempt, making a picture-perfect throw to shortstop Emily Buchleitner to nab her.
 
Clarion got the only runs they would need in the bottom of the third inning, starting with Kathryn O'Horo's leadoff walk. She advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Carissa Giordano and eventually came around to score on Alyssa Stitt's infield single to second base, giving the Golden Eagles an advantage. The Golden Eagles loaded the bases and Stitt scored on a passed ball, bumping the lead to two runs.
 
An insurance run came across in the bottom of the sixth inning, after Allison Gilliam led off the frame by being hit by a pitch. Pinch runner Kendyl Switzer scored from second base on O'Horo's RBI single to left field, giving the Golden Eagles a 3-0 lead. Aubrey Mansfield hit a leadoff single for the Rock in the seventh inning but Hipps retired three straight to clinch the win.
 
Slippery Rock 6, Clarion 5 (11 inn.)
Recap: The second game was a marathon for both sides, as neither side could take and hold a lead for very long in the latter moments of the game. Slippery Rock opened up a 2-0 lead through the first four innings, but some fortuitous baserunning allowed the Golden Eagles to tie the score in the home half of the frame. Rachel Helsley and Annika Smith led off the inning with consecutive hits, with the latter hitting a double to put runners on second and third with no outs.
 
Brooke McCanna drew a walk to load the bases, and Giordano drove in the first run when she took a pitch to the side to bring Helsley across. Smith scored next in the inning, coming across on a wild pitch to even the score. Slippery Rock took a 4-2 lead by the top of the sixth inning but the Golden Eagles erased the deficit again, with clutch hitting once again proving the difference. Brooke McCanna led off the inning with a double, and O'Horo hit a deep fly to left field that was dropped by Regan Hozak to cut the deficit to 4-3.
 
O'Horo advanced to third on a wild pitch, and Stitt drove her home to tie the score, hitting a sacrifice fly to deep center field to score her and make it 4-4. That was where the score remained until the top of the 10^th inning, when Anna Villies scored Jeanna Sukey on a sacrifice fly to make it 5-4. Clarion got the run right back in the bottom of the inning, with Carissa Giordano's RBI single to left field scored Brooke McCanna. The Golden Eagles had the bases loaded with no outs but could not score the winning run, as the Rock retired three straight batters to end the threat.
 
Cami Fisk hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the 11^th inning to give the Rock a 6-5 lead, and this time the Golden Eagles could not finish off the comeback.
 
Starter Megan Anderson threw five innings in the no-decision, allowing four runs while striking out five. Angelina Pepe took the hard luck loss, allowing just two runs over the course of six innings.
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