The Misericordia University softball team guaranteed their spot in the 2025 MAC Freedom Championships with a pair of wins over Stevens, 11-1 and 10-2, Sunday afternoon at Anderson Field.
The Cougars went up by eight or more runs in the sixth inning of both contests to enact the mercy rule.
Emily Susanj walked it off in the opening game with a grand slam, finishing game one with a team-high four RBI on one hit.
Rylie Nasso and
Gianna Russo both had two RBI on a pair of hits, including one double.
Casey Funesti also homered in the opening win.
Gabby Cruz picked up her sixth win of the season, striking out five batters and only allowing one run in her complete game outing.
In the second game, the Cougars put up four runs in each of the first two innings and walked it off once again, this time courtesy of an RBI single by Russo.
Susanj had three RBI on three hits, including a double. Funesti drove in two runs on one hit while Russo had two RBI as well.
Marisa Kelly moved to 9-2 on the season after surrendering one run through four innings in the circle.
Russo delivered the first run of the day in game one with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly that allowed
Bridget Doherty to tag up and score, opening up a 1-0 MU lead.
Misericordia tacked on another run in the second inning on an RBI double to left center by Nasso as the Cougars doubled their lead.
Stevens answered back with a solo home run in the top of the fourth, cutting the MU lead in half.
Nasso restored the two-run advantage in the fourth with a single up the middle that scored
Savannah Richards from second and gave the Cougars a 3-1 lead.
Mackenzie Fizer made an outstanding catch in the top of the fifth, leaving her feet to snag a line drive that was earmarked for the gap in right center.
The defensive theatrics continued in the sixth, as Doherty charged to her right and made a sliding catch just before the ball landed in left center for the first out of the inning. Richards followed with an impressive backhanded snag and a strong throw to first for the second out.
Gianna Foreman opened the bottom frame of the sixth with a towering shot that easily cleared the left field fence and continued to drift towards McGeehan Field. Her solo shot gave Misericordia a 4-1 lead.
With the bases loaded and one out in the sixth, Richards raced home to score on a wild pitch, expanding the MU lead to four runs. Russo kept the carousel going with a single to right center that scored Doherty from third.
Another bases-loaded single by Funesti brought home Nasso and set the stage for a huge at-bat for Susanj. The Misericordia catcher got a hold of a pitch and took it over the center field wall for a grand slam as the Cougars took game one by a commanding score of 11-1.
MU picked up right where they left off in game two. With runners on the corners, Russo reached on an error by the Ducks as both runners came in to score. One batter later, Susanj singled up the middle to bring in two more runs. After one inning of play, the Cougars led, 4-0.
Fizer continued her stellar day in the field with a beautiful backhanded grab on a hard-hit grounder for the third out of the second inning.
Misericordia's bats got back to work in the bottom of the second, starting with a two-run single up the middle by Funesti that opened up a 6-0 lead. Susanj stepped up to the plate and doubled to deep right center as Nasso scored easily from third.
MU tacked on its third run of the inning courtesy of Foreman, who scored a run on a groundout to shortstop as the Cougars took an 8-0 lead into the third.
After the Ducks got on the board in the top of the inning, the Cougars got one back as the result of an infield error that allowed Funesti to race home from third. Following three complete innings, Misericordia held a commanding 9-1 lead.
Stevens put a run on the board in the bottom of the fifth to stave off the eight-run rule and force a sixth inning.
Following a leadoff walk by Doherty in the bottom of the sixth,
Kiersten Tinio singled to move the winning run into scoring position. Russo ripped a single up the middle that gave Doherty enough time to score as Misericordia completed the doubleheader sweep of Stevens, taking the second game by a score of 10-2.
With the two wins, the Cougars locked up the No. 3 seed in the 2025 MAC Freedom Championships. They will face No. 2 Stevens in a rematch of the regular season finale, Thursday in Annville, PA.
