Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SALEM, VA – Stef Poates (Yorktown, VA/Grafton) notched a homer and five RBI on the day as the IUP softball team swept a pair of games at the West Virginia Wesleyan Tournament on Saturday. The Crimson Hawks knocked off Ohio Valley 7-0 in game one before downing Seton Hill by a score of 6-5 in game two.

Poates got the scoring started early in the game when she smacked a two-out double that plated Monica Iachini (Claysburg/Claysburg-Kimmel) and Marissa Leslie (Claysburg/Claysburg-Kimmel) to give IUP a 2-0 lead after the first inning. Jen Beaver (Chester Springs/Owen J. Roberts) would add another run for the Crimson Hawks with a solo homer in the second.

Beaver would knock in another run in the third when she singled in Poates to give IUP a 4-0 lead. After a scoreless fourth, Beaver would extend the lead for the Crimson Hawks in the sixth when she singled in Poates, and Christi Mauk (Claysburg/Claysburg-Kimmel) would end the scoring for IUP with an RBI single that plated Stefanie McCoy (New Paris/Chestnut Ridge).

Beaver was 3-for-4 with three RBI In game one, while Poates went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored and two runs batted in.

Kelly King (Nazareth/Bethlehem Catholic) recorded the shutout win for the Crimson Hawks after allowing just five hits and striking out five.

Game two was much more of nail-biter, with IUP striking first in the top of the third off of an RBI single from Megan McCormick (Evans City/Seneca Valley). Seton Hill would punch back in the bottom of the inning with two runs to take a one-run lead, and the score would remain at 2-1 until the seventh.

With their backs against the wall in the bottom of the seventh and trailing by a run, the Crimson Hawks received a game-changing play courtesy of McCoy, who drilled a home run to left field to tie the game at 2-2 and send it into extra innings.

After Leslie was placed on second to start the eighth inning due to the international run rule, McCormick worked a walk to move Leslie into scoring position. With two runners on and IUP in need of a clutch hit, it was Poates who delivered with a three-run homer to give the Crimson Hawks a 5-2 lead. McCoy would tack on another run in the inning with an RBI double to give IUP a four run lead.

Seton Hill would not go quietly in the bottom of the inning, however, adding three runs to pull within one with two outs until Alexa Campbell (Manheim/Manheim Central ) was able to strike out the final batter and seal the win for the Crimson Hawks.

Campbell hurled all eight innings for IUP and struck out four in the win.

With the sweep, the Crimson Hawks improve to 7-6-1 on the season. They hit the diamond again tomorrow against Glenville State, with first pitch set for 11:00 a.m.