The Misericordia University softball team rallied from a six-run deficit to earn an 8-7 game-one victory and held on for a 9-5 win in the nightcap to sweep Neumann in non-conference action on Thursday afternoon.

Diana Kestenbaum went 2-2 with 3 RBI to lead the Cougars in game one while Whitney Ellenberg was 2-4 with 2 RBI in game two.

The Cougars jumped out to an early lead 1-0 lead in game one when Ellenberg hit a leadoff single and later came home on a Kristi Seiler single to left, but Neumann equalized in the bottom of the inning when Allie White hit a leadoff double and scored on a Jacki Herrington single.

Neumann took advantage of a pair of MU fielding errors to extend their lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the second.

The score would remain 2-1 until the bottom of the fourth, when the Knights scored five runs, highlighted by a Becca Reinhart bases-loaded triple, to take a commanding 7-1 lead.

MU would not be daunted, responding with five runs of their own in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit to just one run. Mallory Getts led off the inning with a single to left field and advanced to second on a passed ball. Ellenberg reached on an error, setting up Kestenbaum for a pinch-hit, two-run double to right field, making the score 7-3. Seiler reached on an error and made it all the way to third, allowing Kestenbaum to score. A Hardy single to left scored Seiler, and a LaBrie double scored Hardy to make it a 7-6 game heading into the sixth.

Caitlin Cromley allowed a one-out triple in the top of the sixth, but got a groundout and a timely strikeout to keep MU alive. Cory reached on an error in the bottom of the inning and an Ellenberg walk set up Kestenbaum for a game-tying RBI single. Cromley would then hit a deep sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Ellenberg to give MU it's first lead at 8-7.

Cromley would then take charge on the mound, retiring the side in both the sixth and seventh innings to hold on for the win.

The Cougars jumped out to an early lead in game two when Meg Hardy drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the first to score Getts and put MU on top 1-0. An Amanda Polaha two-out single scored Seiler but Hardy was thrown out at home to end the inning.

Jen Cory and Ellenberg hit consecutive one-out singles in the top of the second to give MU runners on the corners, and Ellenberg stole second. Cory would score when Getts reached on a Neumann error, and a Seiler double scored both Ellenberg and Getts to extend the Cougar lead to 5-0 through two. Meanwhile, Jess Armillay moved through her second straight quick inning to start the game, allowing just a Mariah Ripken single during the bottom of the second.

LaBrie and Polaha both singled to start the third, but the Knights got two quick outs on a fielder's choice and a popup. Ellenberg hit a two-out, two-run double to make the game 7-0, and following a Getts walk, Cromley doubled to score Ellenberg and push the Cougar advantage to 8-0.

The Knights got on the board in the bottom of the third when Danielle Grayson drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk after her teammates hit three consecutive one out singles.

Neumann scored a pair in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to 8-3. After a single and a walk to start the inning, the Cougars got a pair of fielder's choices to keep the Knights at bay. Two more singles would score one run and the Knights took advantage of an MU error to score a second, but Polaha was able to throw Reinhart out at home to get out of the inning.

The Knights scored two more in the fifth on a Ripken RBI-triple and a Crystal Perlman RBI-double to cut the MU lead to 8-5. That would be the last runs Neumann would score, and the Cougars added one more in the top of the seventh when Cailey Ware scored on a wild pitch to give Armillay and MU the win.

MU returns to action on Saturday when they host Eastern at 1:00 PM.