The Misericordia University softball team secured the top seed for the MAC Freedom Championships with a 2-1, 8-4 sweep over FDU-Florham, Saturday at Anderson Field.
 
In the opener, Alex McHugh held the Devils hitless through five in route to her eighth straight win. McHugh struck out nine in her seventh complete game of the season.
 
A duel between starting pitchers kept the game scoreless through four innings. Miranda Bohn broke the scoring drought with an RBI-double to right center to score Nicole Elliot.
 
Lilo Garrett came in as a pinch-runner and scored on a Brianna Holder RBI-single.
 
Bohn and Holder finished with four of the Cougars' six hits while Kaitlin Redling and Elliot each added a hit.
 
Redling went 2-2 with a walk, two runs scored, and two RBI in the second game and McHugh reached base three times and scored two runs. Elliot finished with a double, two runs and two RBI and Emma Griffin drove in two runs.
 
Bohn picked up the win with 4.2 innings of work and aided her own cause with an RBI.
 
MU struck first with a Redling RBI-single that scored Elliot and McHugh in the third inning.
 
A big fifth inning for the Cougars kicked off with a Zariah Alvin walk. McHugh doubled down the left field line  and Elliot plated both runners with a double. With the bases juiced, Griffin singled up the middle to bring home two runners. Antonia Pacillo added an RBI later in the inning as the Cougars plated five runs in the fifth.
 
After a Devils rally, Emily Wenner came in on relief with a runner on and the tying run on deck. Wenner got the Cougars out of the inning and tossed a scoreless 2.1 innings to end the game.
 
Misericordia pitchers walked zero batters in their 14 innings of work.
 
MU will wrap up the regular season with a non-conference doubleheader versus Lebanon Valley, Monday.
 
The Cougars will open the MAC Freedom Championships against the FDU-Florham/Stevens winner, Thursday at 2:00  at King's College, Thursday at 2:00.