The Muhlenberg softball team blasted open a tight game with two five-run innings and defeated Washington College 11-2 in the Centennial Conference playoffs.

The win puts the fourth-seeded Mules (25-14) into the winner's bracket final in the second of three games on Saturday at Washington. Muhlenberg will play third-seeded Gettysburg, a 4-1 victor at Swarthmore; the winner of that game will be just one win away from the championship. The loser of Saturday's Muhlenberg-Gettysburg game would need to win three more games.

Muhlenberg played small ball in its five-run fifth, using a bunt single, two stolen bases and some aggressive baserunning, and big ball in the five-run seventh: Junior Kaya Mahy capped the scoring with a grand slam to right center.

It was the second grand slam in two weeks for Mahy, who became the first Mule ever to hit two slams in the same season. She's only the third player in program history with two career grand slams. Mahy's big fly also was the third postseason grand slam for Muhlenberg, with the other two coming in 1987 and 2009.

The game was scoreless when the Mules came to bat in the top of the fifth. After junior Ava Calabrese drew a one-out walk, senior Jane Banahan pinch-ran and went to second on a wild pitch. Freshman Peri Kahn popped a bunt to the right of the pitcher and beat the throw to first for a single.

After Kahn stole second, senior Sophia Cicchetti dropped a ball into left-center, bringing in Banahan with the game's first run, and hustled into second for a double. Mahy singled in another run and stole second, and sophomore Scooter Hulsen followed with a two-run single to double the lead to 4-0.

The next batter, freshman Lillie Teague (pictured above), hit a single up the middle that was deflected into right field, and Hulsen came all the way around from first to score.

Hulsen made it 6-0 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and three walks and a single preceded Mahy's big blast in the seventh.

The 11 runs tied a postseason record for the Mules, although the first time they plated 11 runs in a playoff game they lost, 12-11 to Wilkes in the 1982 MAC championship game.

Junior Justine Bergara earned her 13th win of the season with four innings in relief, striking out a batter with runners on second and third to keep the game scoreless in the fourth. Senior Raya Kunes tossed the first three frames and is unscored on in 9.1 innings this postseason.

Cicchetti went 3-for-4 and scored two runs, moving closer to the CC records of 53 runs scored and 68 hits in a season; with at least two more games to play, she has 52 runs scored and 65 hits. Cicchetti also stole her CC-record 45th base of the season.

Kahn finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored, and Mahy put the icing on her five-RBI day by making a fine running catch in right field to end the game. 

The Mules' 25 wins are tied for the third-most in a season in program history, the most since 2014.