IMMACULATA, Pa. (March 29, 2016) – Sophomore Katie Sterling (Middletown, Del.) went a combined 6-for-9 with four runs batted in and was among three players to cross the dish four times as the Widener University softball team swept a doubleheader against Immaculata on Tuesday afternoon. The Pride won the opener, 13-9, before taking the nightcap by a 13-3 decision in six frames to extend their winning streak to seven straight games.
 
After Annemarie Bartow blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to put Immaculata (3-13) ahead at the start of the afternoon, Widener responded with 10 unanswered out to take a 10-2 lead by scoring three times in the second and third innings and four times in the fourth. Senior captain Taylor Church (Glen Mills, Pa.) opened the floodgates with an RBI single that scored Sterling before capping the offensive explosion with a two-run double two frames later.
 
The Mighty Macs, however, used a six-run fifth inning to climb back into the game. Caitlyn Hudock and Kelsey Collevechio each drove in two runs with one swing of the bat, and an RBI single by Hudock in the sixth slashed the deficit to a single run at 10-9. But despite nearly giving up a huge lead, Widener recovered and scored three times to pull away. Senior Alie Alkins (Aston, Pa.) singled in two to provide the insurance.
 
Junior Alexis Schengrund (Hillsborough, N.J.) earned the victory for Widener and improved to 8-1 on the season by giving up three hits and two runs, which were both earned, over four frames. She struck out eight and walked only one. Immaculata's Caitlin Braiser suffered the loss and fell to 1-4 after being lit up for 12 hits and 10 runs, including nine earned, over 3.1 innings.
 
In the nightcap, Widener's bats stayed hot and the squad once again rallied from behind after facing an early deficit. Even though the Mighty Macs pushed two runs across in the bottom of the first for the second straight game, the Pride scored four runs in the top of the second before adding eight more in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames to end the game early due to the eight-run rule. Sophomore Lauren DelRomano (Broomall, Pa.), who went 4-for-5 with two doubles in the game, hit a two-run single in the second to put the Pride ahead for good before junior Ally Horvath (Chalfont, Pa.) capped the scoring by singling to plate classmate Bree VanReenen (Elkton, Md.) for the fourth time of the afternoon in the top of the sixth.
 
Horvath went the distance in the circle for Widener and picked up her second straight victory to improve her record to 2-2. She struck out four, walked two and surrendered three runs, including two earned, along with eight hits. Jessica Bormann of Immaculata was charged with the loss after giving up 14 hits and nine runs, including eight earned, over five frames.

Widener (13-3) stays on the road and visits Gwynedd Mercy tomorrow for a twinbill beginning at 3:00 p.m.