CHESTER, Pa. (Apr. 22, 2016) – Sophomore Katie Rabuck (Hegins, Pa.) pitched three perfect innings of relief in the opener and junior Devin Coyne (Chesapeake, Va.) picked up her second victory of the season in the nightcap as the Widener University softball team earned a doubleheader sweep against Penn State Brandywine on Friday. The Pride won by scores of 5-2 and 3-1.
 
Widener used aggressive baserunning to get all the offense it needed in the first inning of the nightcap. With junior Alexis Schengrund (Hillsborough, N.J.) in the process of throwing three perfect frames from the circle, classmate Ally Horvath (Chalfont, Pa.) and sophomore Lauren DelRomano (Broomall, Pa.) each reached base and moved into scoring position with nobody out. Senior Alie Alkins (Aston, Pa.) then singled in both of her teammates and advanced to second on the throw. The Pride shortstop eventually scored on a sacrifice bunt by junior Bree VanReenen (Elkton, Md.) to make it 3-0.
 
Penn State Brandywine attempted to rally and got on the board in the top of the fourth. After Arianna Segich belted a leadoff triple to right field, the speedy centerfielder was squeezed home on a bunt laid down by Julia Allmann.
 
The Nittany Lions continued threatening to put more runs on the scoreboard, but the Pride came up with several key defensive plays to keep it a two-run game. In the top of the sixth inning, the visitors put two runners on base with nobody out and sent the go-ahead run to the plate. Catcher Taylor Allen (Northeast, Md.), however, threw a strike to DelRomano to pick off Katy Steffen at second base for the first out. Coyne got out of any further trouble in the frame by inducing a flyout and a popup, and DelRomano made an acrobatic leap to catch a ball that was smoked off the bat of Maddie Malfara to end the game.
 
Coyne earned the win by throwing four strong innings of relief for Widener and improved her record to 2-0 this season. She surrendered just two hits and one run, which was earned, while striking out three opposing batters. Penn State Brandywine's Olivia Encarnacion went the distance and took the loss after yielding seven hits and three runs, which were all earned, while striking out one and walking two.
 
Penn State Brandywine (14-16) took advantage of multiple defensive miscues and scored the first run of the opener in the top of the second, but the Pride answered with three runs in the bottom half of the same frame and never looked back. Sophomore Katie Sterling (Middletown, Del.), who doubled to right center to kickstart the offense, came home on a wild pitch before senior Heather Forward (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by classmate Taylor Church (Glen Mills, Pa.). Allen then drove in three runs for the Pride by singling to left in the second inning and blasting a two-run homer to the same side of the field in the fourth to provide all of the offensive insurance her team needed.
 
Horvath picked up the win in the circle for Widener and moved her record ahead to 6-3 this season. She struck out seven while allowing two runs, which were both earned, and four hits over four frames. Rabuck earned her first career save by throwing three perfect innings and retiring all nine batters she faced. The sophomore also fanned two and allowed just three balls to leave the infield. Penn State Brandywine's Grace DeRosa was charged with the loss after yielding nine hits and five runs, which were all earned, while registering one strikeout and issuing three walks.
 
Widener (26-6), which is on the verge of a Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Tournament berth, will return to action when it hosts Lycoming on Sunday, Apr. 24 beginning at 1:00 p.m.