Emily Wenner shines again in win over Waynesboro

Shippensburg's Emily Wenner isn't the Greyhounds' ace, but she sure has pitched like one in her last two starts, including the team's 7-1 six-inning victory over Waynesboro in Mid Penn Colonial softball action Thursday afternoon.

A week after shutting out Big Spring on two hits in a 4-0 win, Wenner allowed an unearned run and four hits with a pair of strikeouts and no walks against the Maidens.

"Courtney Coy is our No. 1 pitcher, but when you have another pitcher that's as good as Emily is, you have to throw her," Ship coach Mike Peters said. "She's not overwhelming speed-wise, but she throws strikes and gets a lot of ground balls."

The win avenges the Hounds' only defeat so far this season, a 6-4 loss in their season opener.

In that game, Ship committed three costly errors in the early going and fell into a hole that they couldn't climb out of. Thursday's game was the same, but in reverse, as the Maidens committed three errors in the first two innings that allowed the hosts to get out to a 4-0 lead, with only one of the runs being earned.

"This felt just like the first game between us, but flipped," Peters said. "They made a couple of errors and we took advantage of it. That's surprising, because Waynesboro is very good defensively."

The Maidens plated their only run of the contest in the top of the third when Alexis Rosenberry's ground out scored Hannah Wile.

Wenner, who had doubled in the first, singled home a run in the fourth to make it 5-1. She finished the game with three knocks.

In the circle, the sophomore pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second when she induced a pop out that turned into a double play when a Waynesboro runner ventured too far off of second base and was doubled up.

"My drop ball and changeup worked well today," Wenner said. "I like to use my fastball to get ahead of hitters and then try to use my other two pitches to finish them off."

Ship (7-1, 5-1) piled up 12 hits, with Wenner's three leading the way, and the Hounds also received a pair of knocks from Amber Orndorff, Baille Jones and Rachel Kline.

"Our approach at the plate has pleased me the most this season," Peters said. "We've made the other team throw strikes and that's big."

The game was called after six innings due to a thunderstorm.