PHILADELPHIA - Needing extra innings in both games, the Saint Joseph's softball team showed its resiliency on Wednesday as the Hawks swept their doubleheader at La Salle. Saint Joseph's posted a 5-3 win in eight innings in the opener and followed with a 6-4 victory in eight innings in the nightcap.
In the opener, the Hawks scored twice in the top of the eighth courtesy of a single by Nikki Alden and error by the Explorers' right fielder. Rookie pitcher Madison Clarke held La Salle off the board in the bottom of the inning to earn the win and improve to 17-6 as she went all eight innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out four.
Saint Joseph's (23-18, 8-11 A-10) came out swining in the first inning of game one as it jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Nicole Palase and Brandi Harkness each had RBI singles, while Sarah Yoos' sacrifice fly scored the third run. Harkness, who went 5-for-7 on the day, earned her 100th career hit with the first inning single.
La Salle answered back though in the bottom half of the inning as the host Explorers scored three runs on three hits against Clarke.
That would be all the SJU ace would allow though as she held La Salle to just three hits over the next seven innings, while her teammates came through with a pair of runs in the eighth for the victory.
In game two, Yoos came through with a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth that scored Palase to make it 5-4, while Madeline Brunck followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Harkness to put SJU ahead by two. Anna Lauterbach (2-6) picked up the win in game two as she kept the Explorers scoreless in the extra frame and added two strike outs over six innings, while allowing just two earned runs.
The Explorers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first in game two, but Saint Joseph's rallied for four runs in the third to take a 4-1 advantage.
Palase and Harkness each picked up RBI singles, while Yoos boosted the lead to 4-1 with two runs batted in.
La Salle would tie it up with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth, forcing extra innings where SJU prevailed.
The Hawks cap the regular season this weekend at St. Bonaventure starting with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon.
