Alexa McHugh led the Misericordia University softball team to a season-opening sweep with a pair of shutouts at Shenandoah, Sunday.
 
The Cougars won 1-0, 4-0 to give head coach Chris Blum the first two wins of his career at MU.
 
McHugh struck out 13 and allowed just three hits in the opener.  Nicole Elliott had two hits and scored the game's lone run while Emma Griffin had an RBI.
 
After five scoreless innings, Elliott led off the top of the sixth with a single up the middle and advanced to second on Kaitlin Redling's single to left field.
 
Two outs later, Griffin single through the left side to provide the winning.
 
In the nightcap, Marisa Kelly worked six scoreless innings and Emily Wenner worked the seventh.
 
Kelly struck out two and scattered four hits.
 
Misericordia scored in the second and third innings and added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth.
 
The Cougars had just two hits, but took advantage of five Shenandoah errors.
 
Mackenzie Fizer reached on a two-out single in the top of the second and came all the way around to score when Ryan Zimmerman reached on a throwing error.
 
The Cougars added another two-out run in the third.  Elliott reached second on a two-out error and came home on Redling's double to right centerfield.
 
Elliott reached on an error to lead off the sixth and pinch-runner Olivia Hull stole second.  Redling reached on an error and Gianna Russo walked to load the bases.  Casey Funesti followed with a sacrifice fly and Redling made it 4-0 on a throwing error.