ERIE, Pa. – Mount Union's softball team swept Penn State-Behrend in a doubleheader on Wednesday evening, winning game one 8-0 in six innings and taking game two 11-7.
The Purple Raiders (10-4) struck first in game one, breaking the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth inning when junior Faith Reicosky (North Canton / Hoover) hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored junior Sydney Mercer (Salem / West Branch) to take a 1-0 lead. Mount Union would then add to their lead in the top half of the sixth with a massive seven-run inning, scoring off RBIs from sophomore Kyndall Hahn (Garrettsville / James Garfield), Mercer, Reicosky, and junior Kendyll Cahill (Grove Port / Grove Port Madison) to push the lead out to eight runs.
The Lions (4-8) wouldn't have an answer in the bottom half of the inning, as the Raiders would go on to win game one, 8-0, in six innings.
Cahill got the start in the circle for Mount Union and threw a complete game shutout, giving up just three hits and striking out 11.
The Raiders would strike first again in game two, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning, the first coming from a Reicosky walk that scored Mercer, and then Cahill drove in Reicosky with an RBI single to take a 2-0 lead.
Penn State-Behrend would cut into the lead in the bottom half of the same inning when Julia Jones hit an RBI single to center field to cut the lead to a run. The Lions would then tie the game in the following inning, this time off an RBI single from Izabel Pozar to tie the game at two runs apiece.
Mount Union would reclaim their lead with three runs in the fourth inning; the first came when Hahn scored after an error from the Behrend shortstop, then Cahill would hit an RBI single that would bring home Mercer, and senior Adri George (Eastlake / North) would score on an error by the Lions' right fielder to make the lead 5-2. The Raiders would add another run in the top of the fifth when junior Lydia Brunner (Minerva) scored on a wild pitch to push the lead out to four runs.
Penn State-Behrend would answer with a six-run inning of their own to claim their first lead of the game in the bottom half of the same inning, scoring off RBIs from Chloe Nale, Karma Malcolm, Hannah Smith, and Pozar to take a 7-6 lead.
The Raiders would answer with a five-run inning of their own in the top of the seventh, scoring off RBIs from Mercer and Reicosky and a three-RBI double from George to reclaim the lead at 11-7. The Lions wouldn't have an answer in the bottom half of the inning, as the Raiders would go on to take game two 11-7.
Freshman Emma Reemsnyder (Canton / GlenOak) got the start in the circle for Mount Union and gave up two runs on five hits and struck out one in two innings of action. Sophomore Haleigh McCalla (Youngstown / Springfield Local) would come in to throw the next 2.2 innings in relief and gave up three runs on five hits and struck out two. Junior Chloe Bird (Norton) would also come in in relief action and gave up two runs on three hits. Cahill entered to pitch the final 2.1 innings, surrendering zero runs on a single hit and striking out one.
The Raiders are on the road again next when they travel to Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sunday, March 23, to take on non-conference opponent Carnegie Mellon in a doubleheader, with game one beginning at 1 p.m. and game two following at 3 p.m.
