FREDERICK, Md. - Eastern Softball rode an offensive explosion in game one and the strong pitching of Gia Gordon in game two to come away with 12-2 and 3-0 wins over the Hood College Blazers in Maryland on Saturday. In game one, the Eagles (11-3, 3-1) bounced back from an early 2-0 deficit to score 12 straight runs, nine in the fourth inning, to win via the mercy rule. Gordon pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout in the nightcap, allowing just five total baserunners in her fourth win of the season.
Hood struck first with a pair of runs in the first inning as Kara Heidlauf hit an RBI single to center field and Bailey Pyscher plated another run on an Eastern fielding error. The Eagles offense, however, wasted no time taking back control of the contest. Eastern opened up the second inning with three straight hits - a Mackenzie Laub RBI single, a Sydney Ostolaza double, and a Hailey Burke RBI single - to cut the Hood lead to 2-1. Later in the inning, Ainsley O'Donnell hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Ostolaza to tie it up at 2-2. Burke hit her second RBI of the day in the third, tripling to right field to score Ostolaza to put the Eagles ahead 3-2.
Eastern put game one out of reach in the fourth inning, scoring nine runs on nine hits in the frame. Mackenzie Maki, Becca Taylor, Laub, and Kellie O'Brien all produced runs for the Eagles before Hood recorded the first out of the inning. Ostolaza followed with her third home run of the season, a solo shot, Grace O'Connor hit an RBI groundout, O'Donnell knocked in her second run with a single up the middle, and capped off the scoring by crossing home plate on a passed ball, putting the Eagles ahead 12-2 heading into the the bottom of the fourth. Emily Trzonkowski and Bryn Clifford pitched a scoreless fourth and fifth inning to secure the run-rule win.
Trzonkowski (6-0) pitched an effective four frames, allowing just one earned runs with four strikeouts on just 74 pitches. Clifford needed just five pitches to clinch the win in the fifth. Eastern finished the game with 18 hits, their most since a 21-hit outburst against Neumann back on April 9 of last year. Maura Yoos was a perfect 4-for-4 with a run scored, while Laub collected three hit in four at bats. Taylor, Ostolaza, Burke, and Morgan Joseph combined for eight hits.
Gordon (2-1) pitched her first career complete game shutout in the game two win, striking out seven on 100 pitches. She escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second inning to keep the game scoreless and allowed just two baserunners in the final five innings of play.
The Eagles provided just enough offense, scoring a single run in the third and two more in the sixth. Yoos scored on a Hood fielding error in the third, before Dakota Owen hit a pinch-hit, two run single to right field in the sixth frame to secure the win.
Eastern finished with eight hits in the win. Joseph finished with two of those hits. Owens, Yoos, Taylor, Laub, Ostolaza, and Burke collected the other six.
The Eagles will play on their home field for the first time this season when they welcome in the Rowan University Profs. First pitch at the EU Softball Field is set for 2:30 pm.
