QUAKERTOWN, Pa. – Senior Emily Estep hurled two complete-game victories and the No. 3, 4 and 5 hitters combined for five home runs and 11 RBIs on Thursday as the Shippensburg University softball team defeated IUP and West Chester on the opening day of the PSAC Championships from Veterans Park in Quakertown, Pa.
 
With heavy rain on Wednesday significantly delaying Thursday's scheduled start times, the East No. 3-seed Raiders (33-13) took down West No. 2-seed IUP, 7-1, on Thursday evening before delivering a blow to East top-seed West Chester, 8-3, in a contest that began just after 10:30 p.m. and didn't end until nearly 12:30 a.m.
 
The Raiders advance to the winner's bracket final at 6 p.m. on Friday evening against West top-seed California (Pa.), which defeated East No. 4-seed Mansfield (3-0) and No. 2-seed Bloomsburg (4-2) on Thursday.
 
Junior first baseman Maddie Justice, sophomore second baseman Taylor Pattillo and junior shortstop Taylor Weisman took advantage of the short fences at Veterans Park in the interior of the Raider lineup.
 
Weisman and Pattillo hit a home run in each game – Pattillo's were both two-run shots – while Justice opened up the day's scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning against the Crimson Hawks. Pattillo recorded a sacrifice fly in the seventh against IUP while Justice added a sixth-inning two-run double against the Golden Rams that put the game out of reach.
 
Estep gave up two earned runs in 14 innings on the day with 19 strikeouts. She gave up four hits and fanned 10 in the opener before striking out nine and giving up six hits in the second game to improve to 22-2 on the season.
 
Junior center fielder Tyler Thompson and junior third baseman Liz Parkins each added RBI doubles against WCU.
 
Sophomore right fielder Briana Giovenco, senior left fielder Hilary Lyons, junior designated player Jessie Trammell, Justice, Weisman and Parkins each had three hits on the day.
 
Weisman's 10 home runs on the season marks the first double-digit home run season for a Raider since Hope Cornell hit 11 in 2011.