Softball Game Preview: Slippery Rock Rockets vs. Sharon Tigers

Slippery Rock is 2-8 against Sharon since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Rockets will square off against the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.

Slippery Rock is headed into Tuesday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their eighth straight game dating back to last season on Monday. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 14-13 heartbreaker at the hands of Franklin. On the bright side, the 13- run performance marked the Rockets' highest-scoring contest to date.

Delaney Staab stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: she scored a run while going 3-for-3. Emma Ritz also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.

Meanwhile, Sharon entered their tilt with Grove City on Friday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They put the hurt on the Eagles with a sharp 15-1 victory. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by ten runs or more this season.

Madelyn Vogan made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out 15 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two hits in seven consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.

In other batting news, Chloe Pagliarini was a standout: she scored two runs while going 2-for-4. Marley Bundrant was another key player, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.

Sharon pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Slippery Rock, their loss dropped their record down to 0-6.

Slippery Rock suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Sharon in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Rockets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.