INDIANA, Pa. - The IUP softball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader to visiting Gannon Sunday afternoon at Podbielski Field. The Golden Knights won the opener 11-3 in five innings and blanked the Crimson Hawks 4-0 in game two.

Gannon solidified its grip on at least the third divisional seed in the upcoming PSAC tournament, improving to 21-11 overall and 20-8 in conference play. IUP fell to 17-15 overall and 15-13 in the conference. IUP holds a 2.5 game lead over Mercyhurst for the final spot in the conference tournament with one weekend left to play.

The opener ended with the 8-run rule after five innings as Gannon added to a 2-0 lead by plating five in the fourth and four more in the fifth. The Golden Knights collected nine hits and took advantage of five walks, two hit batters, and a pair of errors. The Crimson Hawks scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the fourth, including one on a RBI double by Margret Russo. 

In the nightcap, Gannon scored once each in the second, third, fourth and seventh innings. IUP sophomore pitcher Hope Jones, who struck out six in the opener, went the distance in game two and pitched out of several jams, forcing the Golden Knights to strand eight runners in the game. 

Down 3-0 in the sixth, IUP started to gain some momentum with back-to-back one out singles by Kaitlyn Beers and Haleigh Zimmerman, but they were two of a combined 13 stranded runners for the Crimson Hawks in the doubleheader. 

Up next
Still fighting for a playoff spot, the Crimson Hawks play a four-game set with Clarion next weekend to wrap up the regular season.

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For coverage of the IUP softball program, follow the Crimson Hawks on Twitter and Instagram @IUPsoftball and online at IUPAthletics.com.