The Misericordia University softball team opened the season with a doubleheader sweep at Delaware Valley, Sunday.

The Cougars took the opener, 8-0, in six innings and won the nightcap, 15-3, in five innings.

Nicole Elliott, Kaitlin Redling and Antonia Pacillo all had two hits in the opener.

Alexa McHugh struck out 14 while scattering four hits to earn the win.

Elliott had three hits and three RBI in the nightcap and Megan Murphy had two hits and two RBI.

Redling and Brianna Holder added two hits each and Maddie Holub and Pacillo both drove in two runs.

Emily Wenner struck out four and scattered five hits to pick up the win.

The Cougars took a 2-0 lead in the second inning of the opener.

McHugh singled and advanced to third on a single by Pacillo, who was thrown out at second on the play.

Zariah Alvin singled in a run and moved to second on Holub's infield single.  Both runners moved up on a wild pitch and Alvin came home with the second run when Butera reached on an error.

Pacillo doubled to center field to lead off the fourth and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.

The Cougars doubled their lead with three runs in the fifth inning.  Elliott led off with a double to center field and Megan Fenstermaker singled to center.  Holder singled up the middle and pincher-runners Haley McMenimen scored and pinch-runner Lyndsey Hornlein moved to third.  Redling followed with an RBI-single and McHugh made it 6-0 with a sacrifice fly.

Holub drew a lead-off walk to start the sixth and advanced to third on a wild pitch and a passed ball.  Butera walked and took second.  Elliott drove in run on a ground out with Butera moving to third.  Fenstermaker made it 8-0 with an RBI-ground out.

The Cougars scored 10 runs in the first inning of the nightcap and never looked back.

Elliott had a two-run double and Holder drove in a run with a single.  Murphy and Alvin drew back-to-back bases-loaded walks and Holub drove in a pair of runs with a single in her second at-bat of the inning to make it 7-0.

Two more runs came home on a Del Val error and Elliott added another RBI-double.

The Cougars will host FDU-Florham, Saturday.