Softball Split Sets Up Wild Last Day
The Muhlenberg softball team won the second game of its home doubleheader against Swarthmore, 6-2.
The Garnet won the first game, 4-0, with the split setting up a wild final day of the regular season on Saturday. The Mules (21-14, 7-7) will enter the day in the three-way tie for fourth place in the Centennial Conference, just one game ahead of their opponent, McDaniel. The two teams they are tied with, Ursinus and Dickinson, play teams that are higher in the standings.
When everything shakes out, the top five teams will qualify for the CC playoffs.
After managing only three hits (including a double by freshman Lillie Teague) in the opener, Muhlenberg scored its first run of the day in the first inning of the nightcap. Senior Sophia Cicchetti led off with a hot smash to third that went for her 100th career hit as a Mule. She was sacrificed to second, beat a throw to third on a fielder's choice, and scored on Teague's sacrifice fly.
Cicchetti is the second Mule this year to record career hit 100, following senior Gillian Zack, and did it in only two seasons.
Junior Kaya Mahy extended the lead to 3-0 with a two-run double, the first of her two two-baggers, in the third, and scored on a groundout by Zack.
The two teams, who have won the last two CC championships, both on walkoff home runs, exchanged two-run home runs in the sixth. After the Garnet (20-8, 9-5) cut the Muhlenberg lead in half with a round-tripper in the top of the inning, junior Ava Calabrese drove a pitch over the fence in center for her first career home run in the bottom of the frame.
Freshman Gabby Colder, who came on in relief with the tying run at bat in the top of the sixth and retired the next three batters to get out of the inning, pitched a scoreless seventh to earn her first career save. Colder (pictured above) is the fourth different Mule pitcher to earn a save this season.
Senior Raya Kunes pitched five shutout innings, striking out four, to pick up her eighth win of the season.
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