The Misericordia University softball team opened the season with a sweep of a doubleheader at Shenandoah, Friday evening.

The Cougars took the opener, 4-3, in eight innings, and won the nightcap, 6-4.

Maddie Holub had two hits and an RBI and Kiersten Pflueger and Brianna Holder both drove in runs.

Brooke Moyle struck out five while allowing just one run over five innings while Jordan Hoffman struck out two in three innings of relief to earn the win.

In the nightcap, Amanda Butera had three hits, including a triple and a solo homer, and Ciara DeLong blasted a three run homer.  Abby Marzzacco had two hits and Moyle drove in a run.

Victoria Schmidt tossed four shutout innings of relief to earn the win.

Shenandoah took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third of game one, but the Cougars answered in their next at bat.  Holub led off with a triple to left center and came home on Pflueger's single to right center.
MU added three runs in the top of the eighth.  Jess Pluta started the inning on second base, moved to third on a sacrifice and came home on Holub's infield single.

Holub advanced to second on a fly out, went to third on Ciara DeLong's infield single and scored on a throwing error.

Holder followed with an RBI-triple to right center to make it 4-1.  The Hornets used a two-out error and a triple to get within 4-3, but Hoffman worked out of the jam.

Misericordia took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first of game two.  Butera led off with a single to center, stole second and scored on a throwing error on Marzzacco's single to left.

Shenandoah scored twice in the bottom of the frame, but the Cougars tied it in the top of the second.

Pflueger doubled to right center to open the inning, moved to third on an error and scored on Moyle's single through the left side.

The Hornets went back in front with a pair of runs in the third, but Butera got the Cougars within a run in the top of the fifth.

The Cougars took the lead for a good on DeLong's three-run homer to lead off the sixth.

Maddie Stebich led off the sixth with a pinch-hit walk and moved to third on the throw on Raegan Mahoney's pinch-hit single.  DeLong gave MU a 6-4 lead with a homer to center field.