ST. DAVIDS, Pa.—Eastern University Softball's Karlee Kerchersky entered Monday's game with five career home runs and ended the day with three more round-trippers on her résumé.
Kerchersky, a sophomore from Cherry Hill, N.J., went 3-for-5 with nine RBIs on Monday to help Eastern sweep the Manhattanville College Valiants 9-5 and 11-8.
Ashton Tomlinson and Emily Houck had solid days at the plate as well. Tomlinson went 5-for-8 with three RBIs, and Houck went 4-for-8 with two RBIs.
The Eagles fell behind 5-2 and were four outs away from losing the game, but Eastern's Deanna Laughman and Erica Pyla-Gibson walked to keep the top of the sixth inning alive. Ashton Tomlinson brought both of them home by legging out a stand-up triple to right field. Kasey Williams brought her home with a single up the middle to tie the game at 5-5. Emily Houck singled and bumped Williams to third, and then the inning stayed alive after Keri Hupp beat out a dropped third strike. The catcher attempted to make a play on Hupp at first for the third out, but Williams, in the meantime snuck home to put Eastern in the lead for the first time.
Manhattanville then switched pitchers, but the move didn't pay off for the Valiants. Kerchersky took a look at the first pitch from Manhattanville's relief pitcher and then blasted a three-run home run way over the fence in left center.
Manhattanville put two runners on base in the top of the seventh, but the Eagles' neutralized the threat. Eastern pitcher Haleigh Williams struck out her counterpart looking to end the game. Williams struck out six batters in her fourth win of the season.
The Eagles seemed to have game two in the bag after another explosive inning. This time the Eagles notched six runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 8-3 lead.
Tomlinson smacked an RBI-single to center. Houck then knocked in two runs with an infield single after crushing a line drive off the pitcher. Kerchersky once again came to the plate with two outs and two runners on and came through by slamming her second three-run home run of the game.
The Eagles' lead proved to be not-so-commanding as Manhattanville rallied to score five runs over its next two frames, tying the game at 8-8.
In the bottom of the sixth, Houck reached with a single and Kerchersky brought her home with home run number three. Manhattanville's left fielder attempted to climb the fence to make a play, but Kerchersky's shot drifted above her glove and put Eastern back in the lead 10-8. The Eagles scored one more insurance run on a fielder's choice after two runners reached base on infield errors.
Kristen Waters, who entered the game in the sixth as the relief pitcher, retired the Valiants in the seventh and earned her first win of the season.
Eastern (6-16, 5-3 Freedom) hosts Stevenson University on Wednesday.
