FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University softball team stormed by Holy Cross in a doubleheader sweep on Thursday afternoon at Pioneer Park. The Pioneers took the opener by an 11-3 final score after a walk-off hit from Emily Carroll before winning the nightcap, 8-0, in five. 

Team Records:
Sacred Heart (17-19)
Holy Cross (8-21) 

Game 1: SHU 11, Holy Cross 3 (5 inn.)
Pitchers:
Sam Kowalski (SHU) – (W, 5.0 innings pitched, 3 earned run, 4 strikeouts, 10-8 record)
Megan Yurchick (HC) – (L, 2.0 innings pitched, 4 earned runs, 4-11 record)
Maya Gallagher (HC) – (2.0 innings pitched, 4 earned runs)
Avery Toddings (HC) – (0.1 innings pitched, 0 earned runs)

Top Performers:
Mowad, Jenna (SHU) – 3-3, 3 runs, 1 stolen base
Cierra Bender (SHU) – 2-4, 3 RBIs, 1 double
Nicole Henke (SHU) – 2-3, 3 RBIs
Sam Kowalski (SHU) – 2-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, 1 double

Of Note:
It didn't take the Pioneers long to break onto the scoreboard this afternoon, as SHU left the bottom of the first up 2-0. With two on and two outs, Sam Kowalski kicked off her stellar day at the plate with an RBI single to center field. Nicole Henke came up in the next at-bat and matched her classmate with an RBI of her own. 

Sacred Heart's bats stayed hot in the second as the Pios started the frame with three hits in their first four at-bats. After a leadoff out, Jenna Mowad and Victoria LoPinto both singled to set up Cierra Bender for a bases-clearing double to make the SHU lead 4-0. 

The Pioneers added an insurance run in the third before blowing the game wide open with four runs in the fourth. Back-to-back singles to open the inning brought in the first run, while two straight two-out doubles set the SHU lead at 9-1. 

Leading 8-3 in the bottom of the fifth, the Pios needed just three more runs to end the opener in five, and the SHU bats answered the ball. A walk and a single put two on quickly before a pitching change led to the first out. Bender got the bats going again with an RBI single to center. Carroll called game in the next at-bat as her walk-off single plated Lopinto from third to seal an 11-3 victory. 

After helping out her own cause at the plate, Kowalski earned the win in the circle in game one, improving to 10-8 on the season. The sophomore struck out four Crusaders over 5.0 innings, giving up three earned. 

Game 2: SHU 8, Holy Cross 0 (5 inn.)
Pitchers:
Emily Heath (SHU) – (W, 5.0 innings pitched, 0 earned run, 5 strikeouts, 7-8 record)
Sophia Roncone (HC) – (L, 4.0 innings pitched, 8 earned runs, 4 strikeouts, 3-9 record)

Top Performers:
Carly Koltko (SHU) – 2-2, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, 1 double
Cierra Bender (SHU) – 2-3, 2 runs, 1 double
Sam Kowalski (SHU) – 1-2, 2 runs, 3 RBIs, 1 home run

Of Note:
Game two started off with a bang, as Kowalski blasted a three-run homer down the left-field line in the bottom of the first. The homer is the first of Kowalski's young career. 

Following a scoreless second, SHU hung three more runs on the scoreboard to storm out to a 6-0 lead after three innings. Henke and Morgan Teodosio both tallied RBIs in the third, while the third run came from a wild pitch. 

Carly Koltko added two more runs in the fourth to put SHU in the window to take an 8-0 win in five. The junior slugger blasted a double to left to drive both Carroll and Bender home. 

Emily Heath did her job in the circle, icing the game with a scoreless fifth. The sophomore picked up her seventh win with 5.0 innings of scoreless pitching. She struck out five Crusaders and held Holy Cross to four hits. 

Up Next:
Sacred Heart returns to Northeast Conference (NEC) play for three games at Saint Francis this weekend. The series between the top two teams in the conference will start on Saturday, April 13, at 1 p.m.