LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Spalding softball team sweeps Blackburn on the road in doubleheader. The Golden Eagles advance to 8-4 overall and 5-1 in SLIAC conference play.
Game 1: Spalding 8 Blackburn 4
The Golden Eagles came out hot as they would put up five runs in the top of the first inning.
Ally Klein started the rally with a single.
Jennifer Peffley followed her with another single, scoring her for the first run of the inning.
Grace Sweat would also reach on a single to score
Madison Loechle and Peffley who reached base previously giving Spalding a 3-0 lead. SU would cap off the first inning scoring two more as the Golden Eagles take a 5-0 lead. The Golden Eagles pitching efforts kept the Beavers scoreless until the fifth inning where they cut their deficit to three. The Beavers would chip away adding two more runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Olivia Carter would hit a double in the seventh to spark a Golden Eagle rally. Sweat would also double and score Carter on the hit to give Spalding a 6-4 lead. A couple of singles by Miranda Thomas and
Bella Velez would score Sweat and put Spalding up by three.
Brooke Smith would continue the rally by singling and scoring Thomas giving Spalding the lead 8-4 and the victory over Blackburn.
Olivia Carter ended the game two-for-three with a walk and a double,
Grace Sweat finishes two-for-four with three RBIs and a double, Miranda Thomas finishes two-for-four with an RBI, and
Bella Velez finishes two-for-four with two RBIs.
Olivia Carter picks up her fourth win on the season advancing to 4-1.
Game 2: Spalding 11 Blackburn 4
To start the top of the first inning, the Golden Eagles struck first as they would push three runs across.
Ally Klein and
Jennifer Peffley both singled to start the SU rally.
Madison Loechle put Klein and Peffley in scoring position on a sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher. An error by the Blackburn right fielder would allow
Grace Sweat to reach first base and Klein to score as Spalding went up, 1-0. Miranda Thomas would clear the bases on a single to give the Golden Eagles a three-run lead. The Beavers were able to tie the score over the course of two innings as errors frustrated the defense. Blackburn was able to break the tie and push one across the plate in the bottom of the third inning to give them the lead, 4-3.
In the top of the fourth, Klein singled up the middle to score
Amilia Hall and
Bailey Melton who singled earlier in the inning, giving SU the lead, 6-4. A couple of wild pitches by the Beavers would give Spalding a four-run lead. The Golden Eagles would tack on two more runs in the top of the sixth on a Thomas single to score Peffley and Sweat. Spalding would cap off the game by scoring their last run in the top of the seventh inning to give the Golden Eagles the win, 11-4.
Bella Velez advances to 2-2 on the season.
Ally Klein finishes game one two-for-five with two RBIs and a stolen base, Miranda Thomas finished two-for-four with four RBIs, and
Brooke Smith finished with three RBIs.
Spalding will return to action on the road against Rose-Hulman Wednesday April 7 at 5:00 pm ET.
