CHESTER, Pa. - In a pair of crucial MAC Commonwealth contests on Wednesday night, Eastern Softball (16-9, 6-6) recorded a doubleheader sweep with 10-6 and 1-0 triumphs over the Widener Pride. With the wins, the Eagles vaulted into fourth place in the MAC Commonwealth standings.
Tori Hook led an explosive Eastern offense in game one, before the duo of
Victoria Perez and
Sami Britton lifted the Eagles to victory in the nightcap.
Hook continued her recent hot streak offensively with three hits, a two-run double, a run scored, and four RBI. In her last 10 games, the first-year infielder has driven in 15 runs and now ranks second on the team in RBIs with 22.
Susana Perez and
Meghan Johnson each recorded a pair of hits, while
Elena Iannuzzelli doubled and scored a pair of runs.
Jania Long (7-6) picked up her seventh win in the circle in a complete-game performance, striking out two.
The Eagles struck first in game one on a Hook RBI single to center field in the first inning. After the Pride (18-12, 6-6) answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame, Eastern struck back with four runs in the second frame. Hook doubled home Perez and Iannuzzelli to start the rally, before two more runs would come home on a Widener fielding error to give the Eagles a 5-1 lead.
Widener turned their four-run deficit into a one-run lead with a five-run fourth inning, but the Eagles countered with a four-run fifth to take the lead back for good.
Kacie Noonan drove in a run on an RBI fielders choice, before
Sophie Rollins scored on another Widener fielding miscue. An Iannuzelli RBI double and another RBI single from Hook capped off the rally and gave the Eagles a 9-6 advantage. Eastern added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to secure the four-run triumph.
After a combined 16 runs and 18 hits in game one, the second contest was the definition of a pitching duel. The two teams combined for just eight hits and the game was scoreless after the first six innings.
Despite just three hits, however, Britton's knock in the top of the seventh frame made all the difference. After back-to-back groundouts, the senior launched her third home run of the season with two outs, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead. The Pride threatened in the bottom of the seventh, placing runners on the corners with two outs, but Perez induced a game-ending flyout to secure the sweep.
Perez (5-1) pitched brilliantly in her fifth win of the campaign. The sophomore from Miami allowed only five hits in seven innings while recording four strikeouts.
Eastern is back on the road Saturday for another critical doubleheader against Alvernia. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
