LATROBE, Pa. (March 29)- The Saint Vincent softball team swept Carlow in their 2025 home opening doubleheader on Monday afternoon.

The Bearcats (12-6) won the opener 8-0 in a five inning run-rule shortened game, before winning game two 7-6 after trailing by two in the sixth inning.

Game 1- Saint Vincent 8, Carlow 0 (5 Innings)

The Bearcats cruised to the run-rule shortened victory in the opening game of the day. Meghan Braun pitched a five-inning four hit shutout with one strikeout for the Bearcats in the win to move to 6-1 on the year.

Dakota Hershberger led a strong Saint Vincent offensive attack, going 2-3 with a homerun, triple, four RBI's and one run scored. Her homerun was the eighth run of the game with two outs in the fifth to enforce the run rule victory.

Lily Koller went 2-3 as well with one RBI and one run scored. Eva Farone added a hit and three runs scored, while Josey Michalski added a hit and RBI, and Taylor Williams added a hit and two RBI's. Alyssa Henderson also went 1-3 with one run scored.

Saint Vincent quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Williams sacrifice fly that scored Farone. SVC added four more runs in the third inning to grow their lead even further. First, Koller ripped an RBI-single up the middle, scoring Farone to push the lead to 2-0. With two outs and the bases loaded, Hershberger ripped a bases clearing triple to put Saint Vincent up 5-0.

SVC added two more runs in the fourth inning on a Michalski RBI-double to right center, followed by an RBI-single from Williams to increase the Bearcats lead to 7-0 heading into the fifth. 

In the fifth, once again with two outs Hershberger came through. She hit a solo homerun to right field, which enforced the eight run rule, giving Saint Vincent the game one victory.

The Bearcats scored their eight runs on eight hits, committing one error, while Carlow had four hits and three errors.

Game 2- Saint Vincent 7, Carlow 6

Saint Vincent held a 4-2 lead through five innings, before the Celtics struck for four in the sixth to take a 6-4 lead. However, Saint Vincent added three runs in the bottom of the sixth including what turned out to be the game winning RBI from Mackenzie Favero in that inning.

Once again, Dakota Hershberger led Saint Vincent with two hits at the plate, while scored twice and driving two runs in as well. Favero also added two hits, one run scored, and her game winning RBI as well. Haley Hamilton went 2-3 with one run scored, while Eva Farone and Macie McHugh both added a hit and RBI each.

Olivia Bushore picked up the win in the circle, pitching six innings, allowing six runs on hits, while striking out four and walking two. A.J. Arnal came in to pitch the seventh inning, earning the save with two strikeouts for Saint Vincent.

It was a big first inning offensively for the Bearcats. Saint Vincent scored four runs in the top of the first to quickly jump out to a lead. Farone and Hamilton each had RBI's in the inning, while Hershberger recorded both of her RBI's in the inning as well to help put SVC up 4-0.

The Celtics added two runs in the second to cut the Saint Vincent lead in half at 4-2. That 4-2 lead would hold through the next four innings as the game went to the sixth inning. In the sixth, Carlow struck for four runs to take their first lead of the day at 6-4.

That lead would not hold long. Saint Vincent answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead. On a first and third play, pinch runner, April Earnest was caught stealing, but it allowed Hershberger to come around and score, cutting the score to 6-5 still in favor of Carlow. McHugh followed with an RBI-double to left field, scoring Shayna Perigo to tie the game at 6-6. With two outs, that's when Favero hit the game-winning RBI-single to right field, allowing McHugh to come around from second to score what turned out to be the game-winning run.

Arnal pitched a clean top of the seventh, shutting the Celtics down in order to give Saint Vincent the doubleheader sweep and move them to 12-6 overall on the season.

Saint Vincent will return to action on Thursday, March 27, hosting Geneva their Presidents Athletic Conference opening doubleheader. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 3:30 p.m in Latrobe.