CLERMONT, Fla. - On a beautiful morning in the sunshine, Eastern Softball closed its 2024 Spring Break trip with another two-game sweep. The Eagles used early offense and strong pitching to beat Sage College, 6-1, before coming out on top, 2-1, in a pitcher's duel against Benedictine University in the second contest. Their 6-2 Spring Break record was their best since the 2011 season.

Seven players recorded a hit in the first game against Sage, and has been the case over the course of the week, the Eagles used a big first inning to take a lead they would not relinquish. Ainsley O'Donnell led off the game with a single and a steal of second, and Alyssa Binczak with a single of her own to plate O'Donnell and give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. Back-to-back RBI singles from Susana Perez and Maeve Colligan increased the Eagles' advantage to 3-0, and Kelci Cost rounded out the scoring with an RBI groundout to first. Cost is currently second on the Eagles with five RBIs.

Eastern added to its lead in the second on a solo shot from Sydney Ostolaza to center field. The sophomore from Landing, N.J. is off to roaring start in her second season. After eight games, Ostolaza is batting .368 with seven hits, two doubles, a triple, and a team-leading two home runs and eight RBIs.

With the lead secured, the duo of Janla Long and Regina Bangcoro locked it down in the circle. Long pitched the first three innings, striking out two and allowing just three hits. Bangoro (1-0) recorded an excellent season and Eastern debut. The junior transfer from Northhampton Community College allowed three hits and one run while striking out four in her first win as an Eagle. Eastern added an insurance run in the sixth inning on a Sophia Vento RBI groundout.

In the second game, first-year pitcher Danika Barthol (1-0) after two strong outing earlier in the week, recorded her first collegiate win against Benedictine. The Emmaus native pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and just one early run with a strikeout on 93 pitches.

Eastern scored their lone runs of the game in the first inning. O'Donnell led off the contest with a double, and an Ostolaza two-bagger put the Eagles on the board. Two batter later, first baseman Tori Hook plated Ostolaza on an infield single to make it a 2-1 Eastern lead. Benedictine (0-1) answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, and that remained the score the rest of the way. The game was called in six innings with the Eagles needing to catch a plane back to Philadelphia.

Barthol was lifted by several excellent plays by the Eagles defense. Ostolaza caught a Benedictine runner stealing second in the third inning, and in the fifth, with two runners on and nobody out, Barthol escaped the jam by inducing two popups and a flyout. Cost ended the game in the bottom of the sixth with a catch and a heads up throw to second base to catch a Benedictine runner who forgot to tag up.

Eastern returns to St. Davids on Wednesday for its home opening doubleheader against Swarthmore College. First pitch at the EU Softball Field is scheduled for 3:00 pm.