It was a rough start to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship tournament for the Claflin Panthers, falling 8-0 in a five-inning Mercy Rule against the number-one seed, Shippensburg.
Despite Claflin’s first batter, Aniyah Jackson getting on base in her first at bat and four subsequent batters finding the base (three on hits), they were unable to convert those opportunities.
The Panthers struggled with the pitching of Shippensburg, getting struck out seven times. However, defense caused them even more problems leading to multiple runs allowed.
A lead off triple was compounded by a pair of third base errors, allowing Shippensburg to take a 4-0 lead into the second inning.
After keeping them scoreless in the second, the final two innings proved to be disasterous for the Panthers, with six hits turning into four runs, resulting in a mercy rule as they were retired at the top of the fifth inning on a groundout to the shortstop.
Claflin’s run in the National Tournament is not over yet, however, as they will now look forward to a matchup against the loser of the first-round contest between Glenville State and Charleston with the loser of that game then being eliminated.
