JACKSONVILLE, Ill. (Duhawks.com) - The Loras College Softball team moved their win streak to six on Sunday, sweeping the Highlanders of MacMurray College (11-6, 9-1). Jumping out to leads early in both games, the Duhawks pitching staff kept the bats of the Highlanders in check the rest of the way. Senior Holly Klein and junior Makaila Haase earned the wins on the mound, while freshman Miranda Chapman belted two home runs.

Loras (11-9, 0-0) broke into the scoring column first inning, erupting for five runs in the opening frame. Sophomore Danielle Stromert singled before junior Julie Kistner walked, bringing senior Katie Serpico to the plate. An RBI-single brought Stromert around to score and moved Kistner to third with one out. With runners on the corners, freshman Bria Lenten stepped the dish and ripped a dinger over the fence.

The long ball off the bat of Lenten gave Loras an early 4-0 advantage. Keeping the Duhawks big inning rolling, freshman Miranda Chapman drew a walk. Taking the free pass to first, Chapman then swiped second. With Chapman in scoring position, senior Nora Zerante laced a single to the outfield, driving in Chapman and moving Loras' lead to 5-0.

An RBI-double put the Highlanders (6-11, 0-0) on the board in the third inning, cutting the Duhawks' lead to four.

The Duhawks added to their lead in the fifth as Chapman tripled to score Lenten from second. After Zerante worked the count for a walk, freshman Savannah Fowler's RBI-single scored Lenten and moved Zerante to second. Advancing to third on a past ball, Zerante crossed the plate on a deep fly ball off the bat of Stromert, extending Loras' lead to 8-1 through the top of the fifth.

MacMurray tacked on five in the bottom of the fifth, pulling within two of the Duhawks but Loras responded in their half of the sixth. 

A two-run home run off the bat of Serpico highlighted a three-run inning for the Duhawks, extending their lead to five, 11-6. 

Senior Holly Klein took care of the Highlanders from that point on, holding them hitless over the last two innings as the Duhawks escaped with an 11-6 win.

Scoreless through one inning of play, Chapman ended the brief scoring drought with a two-run bomb in the second inning. 

With her team in front 2-0, Chapman started off the fourth inning with a walk. Earning the free base, Chapman moved into second after a sacrifice by Zerante, bringing up Fowler. Poking a shot through the infield, Fowler singled home Chapman, bringing about a pitching change for the Highlanders.

With a new arm in the mound, the Duhawks continued to push runs across the plate. Stromert blasted a RBI-double, scoring Chapman, before coming around to score on a RBI-single by Wolverton. Kistner capped the four-run inning for the Duhawks, sending a fly ball deep enough to score Wolverton from third. 

Leading 6-0 through four innings, junior Makaila Haase continued her dominance on the mound. 

Chapman tallied her second home run of the game in the fifth, before Loras tacked on two more in the sixth, extending their lead to 9-0.

MacMurray pushed one run across in the sixth but it was too little, too late as the Duhawks finished off the sweep, 9-1.

Game Changer
Loras scored first in both games, moving them to 9-3 on the season when they score first

Key Stat
Loras worked for 15 walks, while the Duhawks' pitching staff only surrendered two free passes on the afternoon

Notables

• Freshman Miranda Chapman became the 13th player in program history to hit two home runs in the same game, and the first since Kelly Klein did so during the 2013 season
• The Duhawks five-game streak of double-digit runs came to an end in game two
• Senior Holly Klein tallied a career-high nine strikeouts in game one
• Loras has won six straight games, their longest win streak since the 2007 season

Quotable
Ashley Winter, head coach
"This weekend I was pleased with our situational hitting and our ability to score runs and start rallies with two outs. Batter's one through nine have been coming up with key hits for us which has been great. Our pinch hitters have stepped up in their opportunities, and that's exciting. Everyone is making an impact right now."

"Holly and Makaila have been hitting their spots, which was evident this weekend. They have been sticking to their individual stengths and letting their defense do the work."

Up Next
Loras opens up Iowa Conference play on Tuesday when they welcome the Norse of Luther College to Faber-Clark Field. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.