READING, Pa.– Because the Men's Lacrosse game at Albright ended shortly before the Eagles retired the final Albright batter in an 11-2 win in the opening game, Eastern Softball was a few minutes too late to be the first Eastern program to win a MAC Commonwealth contest. The Eagles did not stop and collected a 9-0 win in the nightcap to sweep a league doubleheader for the first time since 2017.
The Eagles pounded out 11 hits and 11 runs in winning the opener.
Grace Gonzalez was the offensive star of the first game. The right-fielder from Miami pounded a two-run home run in the first inning and delivered a double in her only other official at bat.
After using the long ball to start the scoring, the Eagles took advantage of extra opportunities from walks and errors to build a four-run second inning.
Deanna Young had the only RBI hit of the frame. The Eagles picked up the other three runs by being aggressive on the bases.
Young scored on an
Emily Loomis sacrifice fly in the fourth, and the Eagles plated another four runs in the fifth to build an 11-1 lead. When Albright only scored once in the bottom of the inning, the game ended. Eight Eagles had hits and eight Eagles scored runs in the game-one win.
Lexi Evelyn struck out seven in three innings to pick up the win and
Lauren Lofland allowed only tow hits and a single run in her two innings of work.
While the run-differential in the second game wound up being the same, the game had a different feel.
Kelci Cost doubled down the right field line with one out in the third inning. She scored on a passed ball to put the Eagles up 1-0. The Eastern lead stayed at one until Veronica Perez doubled that advantage in the sixth with an RBI double to left that plated
Sami Britton.
The Eagles grabbed command of the game with a seven-run seventh.
Deanna Young started the rally with a lead-off Welk, and
Kelsie Parker capped the burst with a 2-RBI double to left-center. Loomis, Gonzalez and Britton all had hits in the inning.
"We hit through the order today," Head Coach Teri Adams said of the game. "Our pitchers attacked the zone and spent most of the day ahead of hitters
Britton pitched two innings in relief of Lofland and picked up the win; Evelyn threw the final four innings for the Eagles to earn the save.
The Eagles and Lions will play at Eastern tomorrow in a doubleheader starting at 1:00.
