DAVENPORT, Iowa (April 6, 2023) – After being on the wrong end of a sweep last weekend, the Loras College softball team got back in the win column on Thursday afternoon as the Duhawks swept Saint Ambrose University on the road.

The Duhawks (12-7) escaped a back-and-forth first game 7-5 before coming from behind to win game two 7-3 over the Fighting Bees (17-15).

Loras 7, SAU 5
It took until the seventh inning of game one for a full inning to go scoreless as the sides traded runs early and often in this one. The Bees got started with two runs in the bottom of the first inning before the sides traded single-run frames in the second. Loras' first run came courtesy of a bunt single from freshman Ava Franklin that scored sophomore Emily Monahan.

The Duhawks scored again in the third as sophomore Clare Murphy tallied an RBI single before two more runs came home in the fourth inning thanks to three hits and a pair of Saint Ambrose defensive errors.

The Bees knotted the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth on an infield single, then took the lead in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI groundout. Despite allowing the bases to be loaded with no outs, Duhawk starter Ashlyn Hemm limited the damage to just one run in the fifth, which gave the Duhawks a chance later in the game.

In the sixth inning, the Duhawks loaded the bases with two outs as Murphy came to the plate. The sophomore catcher laced her third hit of the day in the form of a bases-clearing, three-RBI triple to left centerfield to send Loras out to a 7-5 lead.

Hemm worked around some traffic in the bottom of the seventh to ensure that Murphy's big hit would in fact serve as the game-winner as she earned herself her fourth win of the year after tossing all seven innings.

Loras 7, SAU 3
Just as they did in game one, the Bees plated two runs in the bottom of the first and then added another in the second inning to take an early 3-0 lead. Despite a less-than-ideal start, sophomore starter Shandi Rulli settled in and pitched a clean third inning to end her day before giving way to freshman Rachel Peat at the start of the fourth.

In the top half of the fourth, the Duhawks started their comeback bid as senior Abby Jones scored the first run on a throwing error despite no Loras hits in the inning. The Duhawks followed that up with a pair of runs in the fifth inning as RBIs for sophomore Payton Meier and Jones knotted the score at 3-3.

After a clean sixth inning, five Duhawk hits in the seventh inning plated four runs as Loras pulled away to secure a 7-3 win and a doubleheader sweep. Sophomore Morgan Machovec got the inning started with a leadoff single before the line kept on moving with RBIs for Jones, senior Grace Houghton, and Murphy.

Peat earned the win to run her season record to 5-3 as she tossed four innings of scoreless softball while allowing just one hit and facing just three batters over the minimum.

Loras gets back to American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) play on Tuesday, April 11, when it hosts Luther College for a doubleheader at Faber-Clark Field at 2 P.M.