SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Returning to the field for the first time since March 24, the Gannon University softball team gutted out two close games to sweep Slippery Rock University, 1-0 and 5-3. The Rock had won six of its last seven games but was outdone by a gutsy performance by Gannon pitcher Kennedy DeMatteis (Boyers, Pa./Moniteau) in game one as she set a new career-high with 12 strikeouts and shut out Slippery Rock despite almost constant threat to win her fourth game of the spring and lower her ERA to 1.69. The Rock loaded the bases in four total innings—the first, fourth, fifth, and seventh—and left 14 total runners on stranded on base.
 
Pitchers Gabi Vasi (Tonawanda, N.Y./Kenmore East) and Rebecca Tatone (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) combined to pitch game two and received a big boost from the bat of freshman Abbey Girman (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette), who launched a three-run homer to right center in the top of the second inning to put Gannon in the lead. Nicole Bush (Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic) added a RBI single in the third inning to give the Knights all the runs they would need to secure the sweep.
 
Gannon (10-8 overall, 2-0 PSAC) has now won five of its last six games this spring and increases its winning streak against Slippery Rock (11-12-1 overall, 0-2 PSAC) to nine straight games dating back to the 2019 season. The Golden Knights are scheduled to travel to Ursuline College this coming Wednesday, April 6 for a pair of non-conference contests.
 
GAME ONE: GANNON 1, SLIPPERY ROCK 0

Kennedy DeMatteis (Boyers, Pa./Moniteau) earned her second complete-game shutout of the season by surviving multiple innings with the bases full of Slippery Rock runners. She pitched out of bases-loaded jams in the first, fourth, fifth, and seventh innings and set a new career-high with 12 strikeouts, two more than her previous best of 10 (versus Holy Family on March 5, 2020.)
 
Gannon's offense scattered four hits but finally put a run on the board in the fourth inning, as Kristina DeMatteis (Boyers, Pa./Moniteau) led off the frame with a walk and stole second to get in scoring position. Gabi Vasi (Tonawanda, N.Y./Kenmore East) also drew a walk to put two runners on, as Lindsay Schmidt (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillian) stepped in and delivered a single to right field to score DeMatteis to make it a 1-0 game.
 
The drama continued in the bottom of the seventh, as The Rock's Mackenzie Freeman drew a leadoff walk to make things interesting. A sacrifice bunt from Naomi Childs moved the runner to second and a throwing error on a ground ball by Cami Fisk loaded the bases full of Slippery Rock runners before DeMatteis (seven innings pitched, five hits, six walks) buckled down and struck out the final two batters to end the game.

GAME TWO: GANNON 5, SLIPPERY ROCK 3
 
There was far more offense in game number two of the day, Slippery Rock took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Emma Kennedy drove in Erin Gardner, but Gannon fought back in the top of the second. Jules Ryan (Collegeville, Pa./Spring Ford) smacked a one-out double to left field and advanced to third after a Nicole Bush (Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic) sacrifice bunt. Mackenzie Ming (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) walked to put runners on the corners and then freshman Abbey Girman (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) rocketed a ball deep to right center to tally her first career collegiate home run and give the Knights a 3-1 advantage.
 
Slippery Rock added a run in the bottom of the second inning thanks to back-to-back doubles from Julianna Hutchinson and Julia Montie, but Bush added an RBI of her own in the top of the third, singling through the left side and allowing Schmidt to score from third base to make it a 4-2 game.
 
Rebecca Tatone (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) replaced starter Gabi Vasi (Tonawanda, N.Y./Kenmore East) in the bottom of the third and went the rest of the way, totaling five innings, six hits, one earned run, and three strikeouts to improve her record to 3-2. As they did in game one, Slippery Rock threatened late and did bring the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, but Naomi Childs grounded out to third base to wrap up the game as a 5-3 Gannon win.