MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The University of Scranton softball team (6-2) rallied past Thiel (2-3) in extra innings by a score of 7-5 in eight innings and closed the day with a 5-1 victory over Notre Dame of Maryland (2-2) in Spring Break action on Tuesday in Myrtle Beach.

Scranton has now won four straight to open the team's trip south.

Scranton 7, Thiel 5 (F/8)

The Royals rallied from an early 3-0 deficit and used a go-ahead RBI single from junior Kylie Rochford (Tinton Falls, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) in the top of the eighth inning en route to the 7-5 victory.

In the top of the eighth, sophomore Emmie Feltenberger (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) started the inning on second base, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Rochford's clutch single. Two batters later, senor Sarah Stepnowski (Monroe Twp., N.J./Monroe) plated Rochford with an RBI single of her own to make it a 7-5 game.

Sophomore Soleil Dooner (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) earned the win in relief for Scranton as she allowed just one hit and struck out five over four scoreless innings.

Becca Landis took the loss for Thiel after allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits while walking three and fanning seven in 4.0 IP.

Scranton had tied the game at five apiece in the top of the sixth when Rochford drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on junior Alyssa Mosconi's (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) RBI single.

The Tomcats scored two in the first and held a 3-0 lead until the fifth when Stepnowski got the Royals on the board with a two-run triple. Junior Madison DeStefano (Spring Brook Twp., Pa./North Pocono) tied the game at three with an RBI groundout and classmate Hannah Keane (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) knocked in a run with an RBI double that gave the Royals a 4-3 lead for the time being.

However, Thiel quickly responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning and regained a 5-4 edge.

Sophomore Samantha Shaw (Pennington, N.J./Hopewell Valley Central) got the start in the circle for Scranton and was charged with five runs (two earned) on five hits to go along with six strikeouts over four plus innings.

Rochford led the Royals offensively with three hits and three runs scored, while Stepnowski and freshman Celia Totaro (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) added two hits apiece. Stepnowski also tallied three RBI and scored a run.

Scranton 5, Notre Dame of Maryland 1

Sophomore Carley Noble (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) allowed just one run on eight hits and fanned four in a complete game effort as the Royals notched the 5-1 victory.

Noble has allowed just one run over her first 14.0 IP this season and has tossed two complete games.

The game was scoreless until the top of the fifth when the Gators used an RBI double from Jessie Leatherwood to take a 1-0 lead momentarily. Scranton quickly fought back with three in the home half as a pair of walks put two runners on and Stepnowski came through with an RBI single to tie the game before Mosconi provided the go-ahead RBI single. Senior Bailee Hendricks (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area) then followed Mosconi with a run-scoring single of her own that made it a 3-1 game.

Stepnowski drove in two more runs with a two-run double in the sixth inning that extended the advantage to 5-1.

Leatherwood allowed five runs on eight hits to go along with three walks and 11 strikeouts over 6.0 IP and was dealt the loss for Notre Dame of Maryland.

Offensively, the trio of Hendricks (2-3, RBI, SB), Rochford (2-2, 2 R) and Stepnowski (3-3, 2B, 3 RBI, R) recorded multi-hit affairs.

The Royals are back in action on Thursday against Albright (11 a.m.) and SUNY Delhi (5 p.m.).