DUBOIS, Pa. (March 21) - The Saint Vincent softball team secured a pair of comeback wins at Penn State-Dubois to sweep its fourth straight doubleheader to begin the season.

In the opener, a 5-2 SVC win, the Bearcats (8-0) came back from a 2-0 deficit by scoring all five runs in the top of the sixth. The Bearcats then took the nightcap by an 11-6 score, shaking off a sluggish start by scoring 10 unanswered runs over the final four frames.

GAME ONE - SAINT VINCENT 5, PENN STATE-DUBOIS 6
 
In the opener, the Bearcats stranded three runners over the first three innings, before DuBois scratched across the game's first two runs in the bottom of the third, using a single, sacrifice bunt and a triple.

The Bearcats looked to cut into the deficit in the top of the fourth, as Jessica LaPorte singled and Alexandra Dillner doubled with one out. Haley Bicko followed with a fly ball to center, but LaPorte was thrown out at home to end the inning. SVC met a similar fate in the top of the fifth, as Mary Maceda cracked a two-out triple, but was retired at the plate while trying to score on a wild pitch to end the inning.

Saint Vincent finally cracked through in the top of the sixth. Olivia Persin and Kelsey Tobin hit back-to-back singles, before three consecutive doubles, by Dillner, Bicko and Katelyn Stokan, pushed the Bearcats in front 4-2. Mackenzie Larimer would then cap off the inning with an RBI single to plate Stokan and make it 5-2.

Bicko, the Bearcat starting pitcher, kept the Lions at bay the rest of the way, allowing just one runner over the final two innings to seal the win.

The Bearcats out-hit the Lions 12-5 in the win, led by a 3-for-4 showing by Dillner and 2-hit days from Persin and LaPorte. Bicko went the distance in the circle, allowing two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and just one walk.
 
GAME TWO – SAINT VINCENT 11, PENN STATE-DUBOIS 6
Saint Vincent found the scoreboard first in the nightcap, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Emma Torretti led off with an opposite-field triple to right and scored the game's first run two batters later when Persin singled to left.
 
The Lions then put together a lengthy bottom of the third, sending 11 batters to the plate and taking advantage of four Bearcat errors to score six unearned runs and open up a 6-1 lead.

The Bearcats answered right back in the top of the fourth, scoring four runs, all with two outs. Dillner drew a walk to lead off the inning, and after advancing on a wild pitch, scored on an RBI single by Torretti to left field. After Maceda was hit by a pitch, Persin doubled to the left field corner to score Torretti, before Ginter stroked a two-run double down the first base line to plate Persin and Maceda and pull the Bearcats to within one, 6-5.

Saint Vincent stayed hot in the top of the fifth. Dillner led off with a single, before Bicko laid down a sacrifice bunt in front of the plate, which was thrown wide of first by the catcher, allowing Dillner to reach third. A hard ground ball to the right side was then misplayed by the second baseman, scoring Bicko and Dillner and putting the Bearcats in front, 7-6.

SVC scored two more runs in the sixth. Tobin and Ginter hit back-to-back singles to open the frame, before LaPorte stroked a single to left to score Tobin and make the lead 8-6. Dillner promptly followed with a sacrifice fly to center to bring home Ginter and make it 9-6.

The Bearcats closed out the game's scoring with two runs in the top of the seventh. Persin led off with a double to left center, which was followed by a Tobin RBI single to center. Two batters later, Dillner's RBI single to right field plated Tobin with the game's final run.

Saint Vincent totaled 13 hits in the nightcap, led by a 3-for-4 performance from Ginter and a 3-for-5 effort by Persin. Tobin, LaPorte and Dillner each recorded two hits in the victory.

Meghan Braun started in the circle and worked into the third inning, allowing six runs – all unearned – on four hits, with two strikeouts. Olivia Bushore then came on in relief and threw 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and no walks with one K.

Off to its best start in program history, Saint Vincent is scheduled to return to action at 3 p.m., Wednesday, March 23, hosting crosstown rival Pitt-Greensburg in a home doubleheader.