Center Valley, PA (March 5, 2015) – The DeSales University softball team returned to action for the first time since March 5^th, splitting a Freedom Conference doubleheader with Misericordia University, winning game one, 7-5, before dropping the second game, 14-9, on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Game One
The Bulldogs (3-7, 1-1 Freedom) exploded in game one of the doubleheader early scoring once in the first inning on an RBI triple from junior DJ McCauley and five more times in the third inning to take a 6-0 lead.  Junior Emily Hockman roped a solo home run and freshman Haley Frati hit a grand slam later in the third inning.
 
DSU added another run, a solo shot from senior Kayla Adanalian, in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead and nearly ended the game via the eight-run rule in the fifth leaving the bases loaded and seeing a runner thrown out at the plate.
 
The Cougars (8-8, 3-1 Freedom) battled back in the sixth scoring five times and had runners on second and third with one out before senior Rachel Vogel entered the game in the circle and got the final two outs of the sixth inning and pitched a perfect seventh to earn her first career save.
 
McCauley earned the win allowing nine hits and five runs over 5 1/3 innings, striking out three.  McCauley, sophomore Alexa Beaumont, and Frati each had two hits in the win as part of a 10-hit attack.
 
Game Two
The second game was all Misericordia early as they took advantage of six walks over the first 1 1/3 innings to score seven runs and take a 7-0 lead.
 
DSU battled all the way back scoring three runs in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI double from senior Carly Bartholomew, an RBI single from senior Annie Cosentino, and an RBI groundout from junior Michelle Gessner.
 
The Bulldogs got two more runs back in the third inning on a fielder's choice from junior Samantha Gibson and an RBI single from Adanalian and after MU got one run in the fifth inning, DSU tied the game at eight with three runs in the bottom of the fifth on three hits and a Cougar error.
 
Misericordia had the answer however hitting back-to-back three run home runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 14-8 lead before Adanalian added her second solo home run of the day in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
Vogel took the loss allowing five earned runs over 5 2/3 innings pitched in relief.  Adanalian and Cosentino each had three hits and knocked in two runs, while Frati and Bartholomew had two hits each as part of a 13-hit attack in the loss.
 
The Bulldogs are right back to action tomorrow when they travel to Eastern University for a Freedom Conference doubleheader beginning at 3:00 pm.