A RBI-single by senior Katie Serpico scored sophomore Danielle Stromert, lifting the Duhawks to a 1-0 lead in the opening frame of game one.

After making quick work of the Eagles in their half of the first, senior Holly Klein recovered from a one-out triple to take care of business in the second.

Klein's dominance on the mound continued into the third as the Duhawks carried their one-run advantage into the fourth.

Edgewood even the score in the bottom of the fourth, but the Duhawks responded immediately, taking a 2-1 lead in the fifth. With two outs, freshman Bria Lenten drew a walk and swiped second to bring junior Makaila Haase to the plate. Ahead in the count 3-1, Haase came through with a RBI-single to left to score Lenten from second.

Senior catcher Nora Zerante gunned out a pair of runners attempting to steal, helping Klein and company escape jams unscathed while the Duhawks offense added insurance runs.

A two-run single by freshman Regan Wolverton in the sixth and a RBI-single by Zerante in the seventh, propelled Loras past Edgewood 5-1 in game one.



Game two featured a script similar to that of game one as Loras pushed one across in the first inning. Opening the game with a walk, sophomore Danielle Stromert stole second with one out. Standing 120 feet from home plate with Serpico at the plate Stromert raced to third on a wild pitch by Edgewood's Rachel DeJongh. With the ball trickling to the back stop and the Eagles' catcher chasing it, Stromert noticed a lack of coverage at the plate and slid across the plate uncontested. The heads up running of Stromert gave Loras a 1-0 edge.

With junior Makaila Haase freezing the bats of Edgewood with a wide variety of pitches, Loras rode their lead into the fourth inning.

Holding a 1-0 lead, Haase's bid for perfection came to a close in the fourth when Edgewood's Kylie Clark singled through the middle. The Eagles' next batter walked, before both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt to set up Sabrina Maicke. Sending a shot up the middle, Maicke pushed across the game-tying run. Aggressive base running by the Eagles was countered with a throw from center by Stromert to the plate to limit the damage to one run after a tag by Klein at the plate.

Freshman Miranda Chapman jump started a Duhawk rally in the fifth, reaching on an error with two outs. Digging into the batter's box Serpico sent DeJongh's offering off the top of the fence in center field. Inches short of a dinger, Serpico's long single scored Chapman, putting Loras in front 2-1.

The teams headed to the seventh tied after Edgewood pushed the equalizer across the plate in the fifth.

Wolverton reached on an error to open the seventh and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chapman to bring Serpico to the dish. Battling against DeJongh, Serpico's RBI-single allowed Loras to regain the lead, 3-2.


 

With Loras leading by one, senior Holly Klein took to the mound in relief of Haase. Edgewood put runners on first and second in an attempt to steal game two but a pair of strikeouts by Klein and a game-ending grounder secured the sweep, 3-2.

Game Changer
Senior Katie Serpico proved to be the difference maker, driving in the winning runs in both game one and two

Key Stat
Loras stole a combined seven bases while the Eagles were held to 2-of-4 on stolen base attempts

Notables

• Senior Holly Klein recorded the third save of her career, and first of the season in game two
• Sophomore Danielle Stromert has reached base safely in 30 consecutive games
• Senior Nora Zerante threw out a career-high two runners from behind the plate
• Senior Katie Serpico finished the day 4-for-8 with three RBIs
• Loras stole a season-high six bases in game two
• The Duhawks improve to 2-2 against Edgewood this season and 9-4 in the history of the rivalry

Quotable
Katie Serpico, senior designated player
"I've been hitting well and I knew that if I didn't get the job done my teammates would." 

"Before the seventh inning, I told Regan to relax and have fun up there. I had the confidence in her, she has had success against them this season and I just reminded her of that. I told her to get on base and we would bring her home."

Nora Zerante, senior catcher
"Coach Rogers has really been my partner in crime when it comes to my hitting. She's taken time to work with me and I really feel comfortable at the plate this year."

"I don't think it's ever one pitch that makes our pitchers successful. Holly and Makaila had all five of their pitches working for them tonight and it kept the batters in guessing at the plate."

Up Next
The Duhawks return to the diamond on Saturday when they travel to Indianola, Iowa for an Iowa Conference clash with the Storm of Simpson College. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.