The University of Mary Washington softball team swept a doubleheader from visiting North Carolina Wesleyan College on Tuesday afternoon at the Battleground, taking the opener 2-1 in nine innings before winning the nightcap, 4-3, in a six inning affair shortened by darkness. The Eagles improve to 3-1 on the season.
The opener was a classic pitcher's duel, with neither side scoring a run for the first 5.5 innings. The Eagles went ahead in the sixth inning, as Maggie Mrowka hit a two-out triple, and scored on a double from Bridget Laychak.
The Bishops knotted the score in the seventh, with a pair of singles and a walk before an error. After neither side could scratch a run across in the eighth, UMW again held firm defensively in the ninth, stranding the placed runner at second base after a fly out, pop out, and strikeout.
The Eagles scored the winning run in the bottom of the frame, as Laychak served as the placed runner and advanced to third on a sacrifice by Rachel Porchie, before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Emma Schieda.
Laychak and Schieda accounted for four of the Eagles' five hits, with a single and double apiece. Freshman Caitlyn Burch gained her second win in as many starts, allowing no earned runs on eight hits in nine innings, with two walks and nine strikeouts.
In game two, the Bishops jumped ahead with three runs in the second. The Eagles chipped away at the lead with one in the third, as Amina Shakir singled with one out, stole second, and advanced to third on a ground out. Laychak followed with an RBI single.
The Eagles swept in for three runs in the fifth to grab the lead. Shakir singled to shortstop to open the inning, and Mrowka followed by reaching on an error. After a fly out, Porchie singled to left field to plate Shakir, and Schieda followed with a two-run single for the game-winning RBI.
Shakir, Porchie, and Schieda each had two hits to pace the Eagles offense. Stephanie Folkner evened her record at 1-1 with the win, allowing three earned runs in six innings on five hits, with two walks and four strikeouts.
The Eagles will return to action on Thursday when they host the University of Lynchburg at 2:00 p.m.
