Back to back pinch-hit home runs in game two by Maddie Stebich and Jessie McDonough helped the Misericordia University softball team salvage a split against Eastern University, on a cold and windy Senior Appreciation Day Saturday afternoon at Anderson Field.

MU lost game one 10-9 before winning game two 9-5.

In game one, Caitlin Kennedy went 1-1 with an RBI, two walks, a stolen base and three runs scored. Taylor Kenerson went 2-4 with a double and an RBI. Jordan Hoffman went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Eastern scored four in the top of the second to take an early lead.

Misericordia manufactured a run in the bottom of the second. With one out, Kennedy was hit by a pitch, stole second and got to third on a wild pitch. Brooke Moyle flew out to left, Kennedy tagged up and beat the throw home to make it 4-1.

Neither team scored again until Kenerson singled up the middle to score Kennedy from second in the bottom of the fourth to make it 4-2.

A three-run homer gave Eastern a 7-2 lead midway through the fifth inning.

MU scored two more in the bottom half of the inning to narrow the gap to 7-4.

The top of the sixth saw Eastern cross the plate three more times to take a 10-4 lead.

MU went into the bottom of the seventh down 10-4, but made Eastern sweat the final three outs.

Lori Brennan led off by smashing a single up the middle. Pinch hitter Jessie McDonough singled into left, which moved pinch runner Dani Clifford to second. Kennedy singled to left to score Clifford and make it 10-5. Moyle reached on an error to load the bases and a wild pitch advanced all the runners to make it 10-6. Hoffman blooped a single into shallow center to score Kennedy and get Moyle to third before she scored on a wild pitch to make the score 10-8. Melanie Quintanilla grounded out to the shortstop to score Hoffman and pull MU within one at 10-9. Alexis D'Amico singled through the right side, but MU couldn't get the tying run to cross the plate.

In game two, Stebich was 1-1 with a two-run pinch-hit homer while McDonough was 1-1 with a solo pinch-hit home run. Kenerson was 2-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
Mackenzie Yurko was 2-3 with a double, an RBI, a walk and a run scored. Moyle was 1-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Abby Marzzacco was 1-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Alexis D'Amico was 1-3 with an RBI and Kennedy was 1-3 with two runs scored.

Moyle went the distance, allowing 10 hits and striking out six to get the win.

Eastern took the lead in the top of the first, via a double to left. A two-run homer to left center in the top of the second made it 3-0. MU took their first lead in the bottom half of the inning.

Brennan reached on an error, Kennedy walked and Moyle bunted them over. Yurko walked to load the basses and Marzzacco slapped a single through the right side to make it 3-1. Kenerson ripped a two-run single to center to tie the score at 3-3 and advance Marzzacco to second. D'Amico singled to center and Marzzacco raced home from second to give MU a 4-3 lead.

Eastern scored in the top of the fourth to tie things back up at 4-4 and then took the lead in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 5-4 .MU retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning. 

In the bottom of the sixth Kenerson led off with a single and advance to second on Quintanilla's groundout to short. Stebich came in to pinch-hit and crushed a ball over the fence in left to make it 6-5. McDonough followed with a pinch-hit blast to left over own to make it 7-5. Three batters later Moyle doubled to score Kennedy from first to make it 8-5. Yurko doubled to right to plate Moyle and make it 9-5.

Moyle locked down Eastern in the top of the seventh to end the game. She got the first batter to ground out weakly to her. The second batter lashed a line drive that she snagged out of the air as it went past her. She struck the last batter out to end the game.

MU is 16-16 and will play at Scranton, Monday at 5:00.