Game 1 Boxscore
Game 2 Boxscore

Erin Holloway (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) and Kelly King (Nazareth/Bethlehem Catholic) limited Clarion to a total of six hits to lead IUP to a doubleheader sweep over the Golden Eagles by scores of 3-2 and 9-0 Sunday at Podbielski Field and keep its hopes alive for the PSAC Central title.

The Crimson Hawks are 27-6 overall and 10-4 in the PSAC Central with a makeup doubleheader Tuesday at division leader Bloomsburg. The Huskies are 10-2 in the PSAC Central with a twinbill Monday against Clarion before hosting IUP the following day.

Holloway (16-3) pitched a four-hitter and struck out nine in the first game and stranded the tying run on second after Clarion opened the seventh with consecutive doubles. Holloway increased her school-record win total to 67 and strikeout mark to 901 while becoming only the third pitcher in PSAC history to reach the 900 plateau.

After retiring the first five batters, Holloway allowed a solo homer to Nicole Lindner, and it stayed 1-0 through three innings as IUP managed only three hits in its first three turns against Clarion pitcher Erica Burkey.

Marissa Leslie (Claysburg/Claysburg-Kimmel) led off the bottom of the fourth with an infield single and scored the tying run on a double by Megan McCormick (Evans City/Seneca Valley). Kristen Tunno (Seaford, Va./Grafton) followed with another two-base hit to plate McCormick, and Michelle Bivona (Thorndale, Pa./Coatesville) capped the three-run inning with a single.

Clarion threatened to wipe out the IUP lead in the seventh when Lindner and Kacie Nemeth doubled to lead off the inning, making it 3-2. But Holloway struck out Kirsten Wilcox and Kay Barco and retired Liz Shiring on a bunt back to the circle.

The Crimson Hawks wasted little time scoring against Megan Daley in the second game. Leslie followed an infield hit by Dee Eppinger (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) with an RBI triple and scored on the same play when the throw eluded the Clarion infield.

Bivona drove in a run with a single, two runs scored on an error on a grounder off the bat of Mary Ward (Hatfield/North Penn), and Jen Beaver (Chester Springs/Owen J. Roberts) made it 7-0 with a two-run homer to center, her fourth of the season. Stef Poates (Yorktown, VA/Grafton) and Tunno drove in runs in the second to build the IUP lead to 9-0.

King, meanwhile, was keeping the Golden Eagle bats silent. The freshman righthander (11-3) retired the first eight batters before allowing singles in the third and fourth. The shutout was King's fourth of the season.