CLERMONT, Fla.– After spending the morning visiting an elementary school in Florida, Eastern University Softball swept a pair of evening games to improve to 3-1 on the young season. First year third baseman Emily Loomis delivered a walk-off single for a 3-2 win over Concordia College (Minn.) in the 5;30 game, and the Eagles took advantage of opportunities to pull away to an 11-2 win over Johnson State in the nightcap.

Melissa Irick again shone int he circle in the opener. Eastern's junior starter allowed only a single hit through the first five innings, but the Eagles were only able to muster a pair of runs in the second inning for a 2-1 lead. With runners on second and third, Jess Hamdan laid down bunt single and advanced to second on an overthrow. Irick and Rebecca Howard scored on the play.

Concordia tied the game in the sixth on a walk and an RBI double, but the Eagles escaped further damage on a nifty double play. Loomis moved to her left to field a ball at third and threw across the infield for the first out. Howard fired back across the diamond to Taylor Crown, who applied the tag at third to end the inning.

"Our defense was fantastic all day," Head Coach Claire Emplit said after the game. "I am very pleased with our focus and the plays our young players are making. Sam had a couple really nice catches in center and Emily had a couple spectacular plays at third."

The Eagles went quietly in the sixth, and the Cobbers (1-2) mounted a threat with two hits to start the seventh. Irick was able to escape the jam with a strike out and a pop up to second base to set up the end of the game heroics.

Hamdan and Albertson walked to start the inning, and Jess Snader reached on a fielders choice when the Cobber third baseman made a nice play to fire to the shortstop to get Hamdan for the first out. Albertson and Snader each moved up a base on a wild pitch and Loomis delivered the game-winner through the right side.

With the next game slated to start in minutes, the Eagles had little time to celebrate the win. Emplit remarked on how pleased she was with her young teams ability to regain focus for the second game of the doubleheader.

Eastern took advantage of some early wildness and some defensive miscues to jump to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. The Eagles tacked on two more in the top of the second. Howard had the big hit of the inning with an RBI double. The Badgers grabbed a single run back in the bottom of the inning to pull to within 7-1.

Eastern grabbed two more runs in the third and two in the fifth to end the game game in five innings. Loomis finished 1-for-4 in the game, but reached three times on errors. Several young players took advantage of playing opportunities to make big plays. Margaret Fleming caught the final three innings and threw out a runner trying to steal, and Lexi Evelyn threw a scoreless fifth inning in relief. Meghan Johnson started the game and picked up the win.

Eastern will have a practice day tomorrow before wrapping up their spring trip with a pair of morning games on Monday.