The Misericordia softball team swept a crucial doubleheader over Delaware Valley, Sunday afternoon at Anderson Field. The Cougars hit two grand slams in game one to take the game,11-0, in five innings, and followed that with a 10-2 win in six innings in the second game.
The Cougars improve to 16-14 overall and 8-4 in the MAC Freedom as the Aggies fall to 12-14 and 4-8 in conference play.
First-years Amanda Butera and Brianna Holder each hit grand slams to fuel the offense in game one to provide plenty of run support for Brooke Moyle, who allowed just three hits and struck out six to improve to 7-5 in the circle.
After a scoreless first inning, the Cougars took the lead in the second. Lori Brenna led off the inning with a single up the middle for her 100th career hit before Jordan Hoffman and Maddie Holub also singled to load the bases. Butera stepped up to the plate and sent the ball the opposite way over the right field fence for her team-leading seventh home run of the year.
In the third, Kiersten Pflueger doubled, Jessie McDonough singled and Lori Brennan walked to load the bases. Moyle knocked one run in by hitting a sacrifice fly, which the center fielder dropped allowing Moyle to reach base. After an RBI groundout from Hoffman, Holub singled home Brennan for MU's third run of the inning. Butera followed by getting hit by a pitch to load the bases for Holder, who promptly smacked a grand slam all the way to the press box at McGeehan field.
Moyle secured the win for the Cougars by retiring the final six Aggies of the game.
In game two, Pflueger went 3-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Butera, Holder and Brennan each had two hits and two runs batted in as well.
Ashlee Brosky pitched the best game of her young career, striking out a career-high eight and allowing just two runs in 5.2 innings to earn her first-career victory.
Misericordia jumped out to another early lead in the first as they got an RBI double from Holder and a run-scoring single from Pflueger to go up 2-0.
The Cougars added two more runs in the second on RBI singles from Hoffman and Holder.
After the Aggies scored their first run of the day in the third on a home run form Jamie Stefani, they looked to get closer in the fifth as they put runners on second and third with no outs. Brosky buckled down and got lineouts to infielders before striking out Kayla Keller to escape the inning unscathed.
In the bottom of the fifth, Pflueger doubled to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a groundout before crossing the plate on a sacrifice fly from Brennan.
Delaware Valley put a run on the board in the sixth and threatened for as they had two runners on with two outs, but Moyle came in to get the final out of the inning, which she did by getting a groundout to Butera at shortstop.
The Cougars scored five runs in the sixth to win the game by mercy rule. Holub and Ciara DeLong each singled and stole second before both coming around to score on a single from Butera. Holder reached on error and Pflueger followed with a single to knock in Holder. Brennan ended the game by hitting a double to left field to score Pflueger from first and put Misericordia up by eight.
The Cougars are back in action, Tuesday as they travel to take on Keystone in a doubleheader slated to begin at 3:00.
