Maggie Donnelly	Jennifer Sweeney

SCRANTON - Senior Jennifer Sweeney (Wind Gap, Pa./Dumont) won both games in the pitching circle and did damage at the plate to help lead The University of Scranton softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Catholic on Saturday by scores of 8-0 (in six innings) and 5-3 in Landmark Conference action at Magis Field.

With the sweep, Scranton moved to 14-4 overall and in the Landmark Conference. Catholic fell to 11-5 overall and in the Landmark with the pair of defeats to the Royals, as Scranton moved into second place in the Landmark standings with the sweep.

Game One | Box Score

In the first game of the day, the bottom of the Scranton line-up shined offensively, while in the circle, Sweeney kept Catholic at bay all game with a two-hit, shutout win.

After a scoreless first, the Royals attacked in the second, as senior Maggie Donnelly (New Hyde Park, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy Academy) had a two-RBI double that scored freshman Sarah Stepnowski (Monroe Twp., N.J./Monroe) and sophomore Isabella Gorzkowski (Pittston, Pa./Scranton Prep) to give Scranton an early 2-0 lead.

In the third, Stepnowski got into the act, as she had a two-RBI single that scored Sweeney and junior Heather Alich (Bath, Pa./Northampton Area) to put the Royals up, 4-0, after three innings.

That lead was more than enough for Sweeney to work with throughout the rest of the game, but Scranton decided to end the first contest early with a four-run outburst in the bottom of the sixth to invoke the run rule in a game for the eighth time on the year.

First, with the bases loaded and one out, graduate student Casey DeSarno (Wall Township, N.J,/Wall) forced a walk to make it a 5-0 game. Then, freshman Lauren Cawley (Duryea, Pa./Scranton Prep) came home on a wild pitch, making it a 6-0 contest.

With two outs and runners at second and third, Sweeney ended game one with the swing of a bat, as her two-RBI double scored DeSarno and freshman Jessica Stadler (Monmouth Junction, N.J./South Brunswick) to finish off the Cardinals in six innings.

Overall, Stepnowski was 2-for-2 with two RBI's and a run scored, while Sweeney and Donnelly were both 2-for-3 with two RBI's, apiece.

In the pitching circle, Sweeney (8-2) tossed an absolute gem, allowing just two hits in the third and sixth innings (both singles). Only one Catholic base runner got to second base in the complete game, shutout victory, in which she walked just one.

Game Two | Box Score

The second game saw Scranton once again open a lead early, and hang on down the stretch.

In the bottom of the first, Sweeney quickly put the Royals up with a two-run home run over the centerfield fence to give Scranton an early 2-0 lead. The home run, which was the sixth of the year for Sweeney, was also the 24th of her career. Sweeney now sits one home run away from tying the career school record in that category.

In the second, senior Brianna Lehr (Byram Township, N.J./Pope John XXIII Regional) had an RBI on a fielder's choice, while Stadler had an RBI double that scored Cawley and put the Royals up, 4-0, after two. Then, in the third, Scranton added another run on an RBI single up the middle by Donnelly, making it a 5-0 Royals lead after five.

But, Catholic struck back in the fourth with three runs, which caused Scranton to turn to Sweeney to finish off the game with a two-run lead. She did just that, but not without some hair-raising moments.

After quiet innings in the fifth and sixth, Catholic made one last rally in the seventh on Sweeney, putting their first two batters on base to put the game-winning run at the plate. But, Sweeney got out of the jam, forcing back-to-back fielder's choices, the last leading to the final two outs of the game to secure the victory for the Royals.

Overall, Stepnowski, Donnelly, and Cawley were all 2-for-3 in the win, as Stepnowski and Cawley scored runs. Sweeney went 1-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Stadler was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Sweeney came on in relief with two outs in the fourth and was able to collect another victory to move to 9-2 overall, tossing three and one-thirds innings of shutout ball, allowing just one hit. She also struck out two in the victory, as well.

The University of Scranton softball team returns to action on Sunday, as they finish off the Landmark Conference weekend series with a doubleheader at Catholic. First pitch for game one is set for 3 p.m.

--ROYALS--