WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team swept a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom doubleheader from King's Saturday afternoon, taking the opener 2-1 and the second game 4-1 in a 10-inning thriller. Stevens got dominant starts in the circle in both games from Kyra Fischer and Jessica Hsu.

How it Happened – Game 1
After Stevens (7-11, 2-2 MACF) failed to get the runner home from third with one out in first, Rachael Prescott led off the second with a single and moved to second on an Isabelle Won sac bunt. Elizabeth Kirstein followed, reaching on an infield single; Kirstein was thrown out attempting to advance to second after the throw from second base got away from the first baseman, with Prescott coming in to score on the play.

Fischer was in command throughout the game, not allowing a baserunner until conceding a double in the fourth and not allowing a runner past second through six innings.

Allison Mitloff led off the Stevens' fifth with a double and moved to third on a Jessica Guerrero single, with Guerrero taking second on the play. Riley Lawrence stepped up next and plated Mitloff with a sacrifice fly, doubling the Ducks' lead.

After cruising through the first six, Fischer finally ran into some trouble in the seventh, with King's (4-10, 0-2 MACF) pushing a run across and putting runners on second and third with no one out, but the Mount Laurel native pulled off a dramatic escape, inducing a shallow fly out to center, then struck out the next two hitters to close out the one-run win.

How it Happened – Game 2
After two scoreless frames, Emma Quattrochi led off the third with a walk and advanced to second on an infield single by Mitloff. After Quattrochi was forced out at third on a Guerrero fielder's choice, Guerrero advanced to second on an attempted double steal, with Mitloff thrown out at third on the play. Now with two out and a runner on second, Lawrence singled to right-center, plating Guerrero for a 1-0 lead.

As was the case with Fischer in Game 1, Hsu was dominant in Game 2, allowing just a fourth inning double and a sixth inning walk through six scoreless frames, but as they did in Game 1, the Monarchs put together a rally in the seventh, tying the game, but the Ducks pushed the game to extras, thanks in large part to a shifty flip on a bunt with one out from Fischer, who'd come on in relief, to Kirstein.

Both sides put runners in scoring position in the eighth but failed to push across the go-ahead/walk-off run(s).

In the 10^th, the Ducks finally broke through. With Lawrence placed on second to start the inning, Megan Curtis led off with a walk. With 8.2 innings of one-run ball under her belt in the circle, Hsu came through at the plate with a two-run double to center. Prescott followed with another double, scoring Hsu for a 4-1 Ducks' lead.

Hsu went back out for the bottom of the 10^th and set the Monarchs down in order, stranding the automatic runner at third to wrap up the sweep for Stevens.

Inside the Box Score

• Game 2 was the Ducks' first 10+ inning game since last March 29 against Delaware Valley.
• Allowing no earned runs across 7.1 combined innings for the day, Fischer lowered her season ERA more than half a run to a season-low 3.82. Fischer has not allowed an earned run in her last five outings spanning 20 innings.
• Hsu became the first Duck to toss at least nine innings in one game since Erin Kreis threw 9.0 innings against Misericordia in the 2021 MAC Freedom Tournament.
• Mitloff and Prescott both finished the twin-bill 4-for-7; Mitloff raised her season average to .521, Prescott raised hers to .368.

Up Next: Stevens welcomes MIT to Weehawken Waterfront Park for a doubleheader on Monday, March 24, starting at 3:00 p.m.

Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
Twitter/X: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks


#AllRise