WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Mount Union's softball team swept both of their games on the fourth day of their Spring Break trip in Florida, beating Beloit 14-1 in their first game of the day and beating Husson 6-2 in their second game on Wednesday.
The Purple Raiders (6-2) would strike first in their first game of the day, breaking up the scoreless tie in the top half of third inning when junior
Faith Reicosky (North Canton / Hoover) hit an RBI single to bring in fellow junior
Sydney Mercer (Salem / West Branch) to take a 1-0 lead. Mount Union would add to that lead in the fourth inning when junior
Abbie Gayner (Akron / Revere) hit an RBI single to score sophomore
Karlie Davis (St. Leon, Ind. / East Central) to stretch the lead to two runs.
The Buccaneers (0-7) would answer with a run of their own in the bottom half of the fourth, scoring off an RBI from Kaylee Witte to cut the lead to a run. The Raiders would add two runs in the top of the fifth inning, scoring off RBIs from junior
Kendyll Cahill (Grove Port / Grove Port Madison) and Gayner to push the lead back out to three runs.
Mount Union would then explode for a 10-run inning in the sixth scoring off RBIs from senior
Adri George (Eastlake / North), junior
Kaitlyn Culver (Girard), senior
Tori Sickafoose (Magnolia / Sandy Valley), Cahill, Gayner and Reicosky to make the lead 14-1. Beloit wouldn't have an answer in the bottom half of the inning and the Raiders would go on to win 14-1.
Junior
Chloe Bird (Norton) got the start in the circle for Mount Union and gave up a single run on four hits and struck out one in five innings of work. Junior
Cecilia Stephens (Edinburgh / Southwest) came in to pitch the final inning in relief and gave up zero runs on zero hits and struck out one.
Mount Union would strike first again in their second game of the day, scoring four runs in the first inning with RBIs coming from Sickafoose and Culver to take a 4-0 lead. The Raiders would add another run to their total in the bottom of the fourth inning when Reicosky hit an RBI double to left field that scored freshman
Allison Jones (Berlin Center / Western Reserve) to stretch the lead to five runs.
The Eagles (4-5) would cut into the lead in the top half of the fifth, scoring off an RBI from Tatyanna Biamby to cut the lead to four runs. Husson would continue cutting into the lead with another run in the sixth inning, scoring off an RBI single from Kiara McLeod to cut the lead to 6-2. Mount Union would stretch the lead back to four runs in the bottom half of the same inning when Mercer hit a sacrifice fly that brought home Culver and would go on to win 6-2.
Cahill got the start in the circle for Mount Union and pitched a complete game, giving up two runs, one earned on eight hits and striking out two in the win.
The Raiders Florida trip continues tomorrow with another pair of games, taking on Kean at 10:15 a.m. and Hiram at 2:30 p.m.
