CHESTER, Pa. (March 26, 2017) – Junior Katie Rabuck (Hegins, Pa.) and senior Ally Horvath (Chalfont, Pa.) each picked up a win in the circle while combining for four hits in leading the Widener University softball team to a convincing twinbill sweep of Stevenson on Sunday afternoon. The Pride won the opener, 5-1, and captured the nightcap by an 8-0 decision in five innings.
 
Widener (10-4, MAC Commonwealth 2-0) quickly got on the board in the opener by scoring twice in the bottom of the first. Horvath, who reached base on a leadoff single, came home on a ball that was rifled through the left side by junior Lauren DelRomano (Broomall, Pa.) before classmate Taylor Allen (North East, Md.) drew a bases-loaded walk on a full count to double the advantage. Junior Katie Sterling (Middletown, Del.) then homered to start the third, and Allen sent home senior Liz Antonucci (Nesconset, N.Y.) on a groundout with runners on the corners.
 
Rabuck, meanwhile, was in full control of the circle after yielding a leadoff double to Naomi Fields in the top of the second. The Pride junior retired 14 consecutive Mustang batters until Tiffany McKee went yard to straightaway center in the sixth to give the visitors their only run of the afternoon. Widener got the run back in the bottom half of the frame on an RBI single by senior Nicole Burt (Staten Island, N.Y.), and Rabuck pitched a solid seventh to allow the hosts to come away with the four-run win.
 
Widener's Rabuck picked up her fourth straight win in the circle after giving up just four hits and one run, which was earned, while going the distance. She matched a career high with seven strikeouts and did not issue a walk. Brooke Steinbach suffered the loss and dropped to 0-5 after surrendering seven hits and five runs, which were all earned, in six innings of work.
 
The Pride got to Stevenson hurler Jasmyn Ogletree early and often in the nightcap while Horvath was in  the process of throwing a gem from the circle. Rabuck singled up the middle to score Sterling, who reached on an error to start the inning, and freshman Jamie Gosselin (Abington, Pa.) followed up with a two-run single to the gap in left center to give the hosts a 3-0 advantage. Horvath then singled to first to plate a fourth run, and Gosselin came home on a groundout to first by Burt.
 
Stevenson (3-9, MAC Commonwealth 0-4) had a golden opportunity to score in the top of the fourth by loading the bases with two outs. Horvath, however, got out of the major jam by striking out Nicole Dell. The Pride then tacked on two runs in their half of the fourth, beginning when freshman Carli Benozich came home on a wild pitch. DelRomano followed with a hard RBI single through the left side, and Horvath retired the Mustangs in order in the fifth to end the game early due to the eight-run rule.
 
Horvath earned the win the circle by throwing a three-hit shutout to improve her record to 4-1 this season. She also fanned two and issued just one walk. Ogletree was dealt the setback after giving up eight runs, including six earned, and eight hits in four innings of work.
 
Widener, which has won eight straight games, will next visit Eastern on Tuesday, March 28 at 3:00 p.m.