ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - In its final regular season doubleheader of the season, Eastern Softball clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Tournament with a pair of victories over the Stevenson Mustangs. Danika Barthol pitched a two-hit shutout in the Eagles' 3-0 victory in game one, before Eastern scored six early runs and rode strong relief pitching to an eventual 8-2 win in game two.

Mackenzie Laub put together an excellent offensive performance over the course of the two games, finishing a combined 5-for-7, which included three doubles, with four runs scored and three RBIs. Maeve Colligan finished 3-for-3 in game two with pair of doubles, while Alyssa Binczak recorded three hits over both contests. Susana Perez also finished with a pair of hits in game one.

In the circle, Barthol (13-2) put the finishing touches on a brilliant regular season, allowing just two hits and three total baserunners while striking out six in game one. Her 108 strikeouts are now the third-most in for an Eastern pitcher in a single season in program history, surpassing Deb Ellerson, who punched out 107 batters back in 1999.

After Barthol struck out the first two batters she faced and worked around a two-out single, the Eagles scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the first to take a lead they would not relinquish. With two outs, Laub hit her first double of the day to right center field, and Tori Hook drove her in with an RBI single.

Despite leaving the bases loaded in the third, Barthol continued to keep the Stevenson lineup at bay, allowing for the Eagles' offense to push another run across in the fourth. Ainsley O'Donnell hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Kellie O'Brien to make it 2-0 Eastern. The Eagles added one more run in the fifth on a Sydney Ostolaza RBI single, and Barthol shut the door the rest of the way to clinch the No. 1 seed for Eastern.

The Eagles came out firing in game two, scoring two runs in the first inning. Laub hit her second double to score Binczak, and Colligan followed with a double of her own to left center to give Eastern a 2-0 lead.

Jania Long dominated in the first two innings in the circle, striking out five of the first seven batters she faced, and the Eagles tacked on four more runs in the second. Kelci Cost scored on a Stevenson fielding error, Laub drove in two more runs on her third double down the left field line, and Hook capped off the scoring with an RBI single to center field.

The Mustangs threatened in the fourth, scoring two runs and loading the bases with nobody out, but Regina Bangcoro (2-0) limited the damage, notching a huge strikeout between inducing two fielders choice groundouts to keep the Eagles ahead.

Stevenson also loaded the bases in the fifth inning, but this time, it was Bryn Clifford who kept the Mustangs at bay. The sophomore recorded three straight outs with the bases loaded on a fielders choice groundout, a popup, and a lineup.

The Eagles added two crucial insurance runs in the fifth. With runners at second and third, pinch hitter Amanda Bruno came through with a two-run single to left field, pushing the Eagles' advantage to 8-2. Clifford went on to pitch a scoreless sixth and Hailey Krichten completed the game with a scoreless seventh, clinching Eastern's 27th win of the campaign.

Eastern (27-6, 13-1) will host the MAC Commonwealth Tournament beginning next Thursday, May 2 at Penn Park at the University of Pennsylvania.