PHOTO GALLERY

The Saint Vincent softball team earned a doubleheader sweep over Washington & Jefferson on Senior Day in Latrobe, winning by scores of 5-0 and 9-1.

In game one, The Bearcats got on the board in their first at bat, taking a 3-0 lead. 
 
The scoring started after the Presidents' left fielder dropped a fly ball, allowing Victoria Culver, who had led off with a double, to score. The hosts then rallied back-to-back-to-back singles from Lauren Miller and Alona Sleith, scoring two more runs to end the opening frame.
 
After consecutive walks to start the second, Shelby Noel turned an unassisted double play, catching a line drive and tagging first base after the advancing runner took off. Emily Duerr struck out the next batter, preserving the lead for the Bearcats. 
 
The Bearcats added a run in the third. Miller and Sleith both singled with one out, and Miller later scored on a Rachel Harenchar single to make the score 4-0.
 
SVC increased their lead in the fifth when Lauren Miller singled up the middle scoring Noel, making it 5-0.
 
Duerr surrendered a hit to the Presidents' in the top of the seventh inning but closed the door without any damage, finishing her complete game, 3-hit shutout.
 
To begin game two, Bearcat starter Riley Assalone worked herself out of a jam with two runners in scoring position with only one out. After a single, a bunt base hit, and a sacrifice bunt, the freshman struck the next two hitters to end the top of the first without a score.
 
In the top of the third, the Presidents loaded the bases with no outs. Assalone forced an infield fly rule play, recording the first out. However, the third baseman Sleith let the ball drop and the W&J runner at third took off for home. Sleith gathered the ball and tossed it to the catcher Kelsey Hunter to record the double play. 

Assalone then got out of the wild inning with a pop up to second base and keeping the game scoreless.

W&J got on the board with a run in the top of the fourth, but their lead wouldn't last long.
 
The Bearcats exploded in the bottom of fifth for 7 runs, all unearned against W&J's pitcher Kristen Fuertes. With one out, Harenchar and Hunter both singled.  Pinch-hitter Erica Smiley reached on an error, scoring Harenchar with the Bearcats' first run.  Culver then singled home Hunter, and Morgan Murphy, pinch running for Smiley, scored on a groundout by Courtney Patterson to make it 3-0.  Shelby Noel then hit a 2-run home run to center field to give SVC a 5-0 lead.  Sleith and Miller both followed with singles, and Duerr then singled to load the bases for Harenchar, who hit a 2-run double to increase the lead to 7-0.

Saint Vincent added two runs in the sixth inning, as Noel hit an RBI double and Miller ended the game with an RBI single.

Assalone (8-1) went the distance, giving up 5 hits and one run, while walking two and striking out 4.

The Bearcats are now 9-3 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, while W&J falls to 5-9.