Erie, Pa.—The Mercyhurst Softball team continued their winning streak as they took a two game sweep of the Clarion Golden Eagles to close out the regular season.
Game One (W, 10-2)
The Lakers and Golden Eagles didn't score in the opening inning but the Lakers went off in the bottom of the second all with two outs.
Kaci Alderson earned a seven pitch walk to start the rally. Hannah Rozanski stepped to the plate and hit her third homer of the season to put the Lakers up 2-0. Two pitches later Chloe McQuestion doubled to right center to start the rally again. Eliza Reynolds followed it up with a double of her own, McQuestion advanced to third on the play. Kacie Irwin then drew a walk to load the bases. Cheyenne Hindman drove in McQuestion from third with a walk to make it 3-0. After a pitching change Allison Dejidas singled and brought home Irwin and Reynold to make it 5-0 Lakers.
Clarion didn't respond until the fourth inning when they pushed a run across with a SAC fly. In the bottom of the fourth the Lakers got the run back. Hindman drove in Reynolds who tripled with one out in the frame. After four innings the Lakers were up 6-1.
In the sixth the Lakers scored three times to end the game due to the run rule. Hindman singled to center to score Anna O'Geen. Two pitches later Dejidas doubled home Reynolds and Hindman to make it 9-2. After Dejidas advanced on a wild pitch, Marisa Cartellone singled home Dejidas to end the game.
Mikaela Schramski went six innings in the circle and allowed five hits and two unearned runs. She struckout three while getting ten flyouts.
Game Two (W, 8-0)
In game two the Lakers needed just five innings to close out the Golden Eagles.
In the bottom of the second inning the Lakers offense opened the season. Sarah Koscho started the inning with a single to center and then swiped second and took third following a wild pitch. Alderson lifted a flyball to center and drive in Koscho. After a groundout, Rozanski singled with two outs to start another two out rally. McQuestion followed it up with a single of her own to put runners on first and second. Reynolds then doubled to left field and scored both runners.
Mercyhurst scored three more times in the bottom of the third to make it 6-0. Cartellone singled with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a flyout, Alderson was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Irwin then tripled to score both runners and make it 5-0. One pitch later, Rozanski drove in Irwin with a single to center.
The seventh and eighth Laker runs came in the fourth on a Alderson single to left that brought Dejidas and Reynolds in.
Morgan Hilty allowed just two hits in the games while also striking out two. She notched ten groundouts and needed just 55 pitches to close out the game.
Hear From The Team
Playoff Time
With the sweep today the Laker clinched the third seed in the west and will take on Shippensburg on Wednesday in Quakerstown, Pa.
