The Benedictine University Mesa softball team put together a complete day on both sides of the ball, earning a doubleheader sweep over La Sierra with a dominant
9–1 victory in Game One followed by a hard-fought
3–2 win in Game Two.
Game One: Benedictine Mesa 9, La Sierra 1
Benedictine wasted little time setting the tone in the opener, striking first in the top of the first inning. After a base runner reached,
Alexa Rice launched a two-run home run to center field, giving the Redhawks an early 2–0 advantage.
The Redhawks' bats stayed hot in the second inning as they sent nine hitters to the plate. Consecutive hits from
Chloe Wright, Emma Tufnell, and Jenaly Gabriel loaded the bases before
Shayla Young delivered a two-run double to the gap. Moments later,
Jasleen Calderon added a two-run single, extending the lead to 6–0.
La Sierra got on the board in the bottom half with an RBI single, but Benedictine quickly answered. In the fourth inning,
Wright came through again, lining a two-run single down the right-field line to push the lead to 8–1.
Benedictine added one more insurance run in the fifth as
Young picked up a sacrifice fly, capping off a nine-run performance on 12 total hits.
Game Two: Benedictine Mesa 3, La Sierra 2
Game Two proved to be a much tighter contest, with both teams trading momentum throughout. Benedictine broke through first in the second inning. After hits from
Emma Tufnell and Negasse Williams,
Calderon drove in Jenaly Gabriel with a sacrifice fly, giving the Redhawks a 1–0 lead.
La Sierra responded in the third, capitalizing on an error and a two-run single to take a brief 2–1 advantage. Benedictine answered immediately in the fourth, showing resilience and situational hitting.
After a defensive miscue and a bunt single loaded the bases,
Rice delivered again, ripping a
two-run double to center field to swing the lead back in favor of the Redhawks at 3–2.