Ship falls in D3 consolation semi

The Shippensburg softball team blew through the latter half of the season on a five-game winning streak, with huge margins of victory thanks to their heavy-hitting lineup.

But after the first round of the District 3 Class 5A playoffs, the Lady Hounds hit a roadblock of talented pitching and a few well-timed hits in final innings. 

Tuesday, Shippensburg lost its second straight one-run game in the district tournament in a 5-4 loss to Lower Dauphin in the consolation semifinal at York College. 

After trailing Lower Dauphin by one run for a majority of the game, Amber Orndorff hit a two-RBI double to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the sixth. But Lower Dauphin responded with the game-tying run in the sixth, and plated the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh on an error. 

"That's a difficult way to end a season, especially for our seniors," Shippensburg coach Mike Peters said. "When games are this close, a timely hit or an error can make the difference. Unfortunately, we came up on the short end."

Courtney Coy struck out four in her seven-inning outing and allowed seven hits. 

Shippensburg completed its season with an undefeated home slate and outscored opponents 69-16 in the final eight games of the season.