INDIANA, Pa. – IUP softball heads into week three of the season as the Crimson Hawks prepare for a four-game series against Mercyhurst. The Crimson Hawks are scheduled to host the Lakers Friday at 2:30 p.m. and will head to Erie for a Saturday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. 
 
Spectators
IUP Athletics is allowing spectators at outdoor events this spring. Any fans visiting Ruth Podbielski Field are asked to keep socially distant from each other, participating teams, student-athletes, school officials and other game day personnel. When not able to socially distant, please wear masks.

Mercyhurst is not allowing any spectators from the visiting teams to any of its home athletic events. Mercyhurst fan policy. 
 
Last Time Out
>> The Crimson Hawks split their weekend series against Cal U, winning once each at home and on the road. IUP's wins came in dramatic fashion, rallying for a 6-5 win in game one and a 10-6 extra inning game three. Cal U won game two 14-6 and game four 4-2. 
>> The first win snapped a streak of 13 straight losses to the Vulcans which dated back to the 2014 season. 
>> Senior Renee Wall hit a team-best .571 for the series while grad student Kaitlyn Beers hit .500 with two homers and five RBI. She had a walk-off single in the 6-5 game one victory.
>> Sophomore Hope Jones picked up two wins over the weekend, tallying a career-high 12 strikeouts in each outing. 

Follow/Social Media
Live Stats (IUP): IUPstats.com
Live Video (IUP): IUP Softball Facebook
Live Stats (MU): HurstAthletics.com
Live Video (MU): HurstAthletics.com
Twitter: @IUPsoftball
Instagram: @iupsoftball
 
Notes
>> This series marks a third straight new division rival for the Crimson Hawks after the PSAC moved from three divisions to two.
>> The Crimson Hawks are 17-4 in the series since 2011, including an 8-0 mark in Erie. These teams last played each other in 2019 with Mercyhurst taking both ends of a doubleheader (6-3, 4-1).
>> Both teams enter the weekend with identical 5-3 overall and conference records. The Lakers took three from Clarion and split with Gannon. 
>> Grad student Kaitlyn Beers leads the PSAC West and ranks third in the conference with four home runs. She's averaging a home run every 7.5 at-bats and leads the team with a .800 slugging percentage and a 1.224 OPS. 
>> Senior Renee Wall hit a team-best .571 and had six RBI in the Cal U series. She was put in multiple spots in the order during the four games, putting up three multi-hit outings, and two games of multiple RBIs. 
>> Sophomore Hope Jones is tied for the PSAC-lead with 33 strikeouts and averages 11.95 strikeouts per seven innings. She posted two straight 12-strikeout performances against Cal U. 
>> Freshman Amanda Fischer leads the team with a 2.57 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in four appearances. She has 15 strikeouts in 16.1 innings, mostly in relief. 
>> Senior Rachel Rodriguez missed the first two games but has hit in each of her six games played since returning to the lineup. She's second on the team with a .421 batting average and has a team-best three doubles.