CLARION, Pa. –
Stefanie McCoy (New Paris/Chestnut Ridge) and
Lauren Hogue (Seneca/Cranberry) each hit a pair of home runs to help the Crimson Hawks sweep Clarion in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West softball doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon.
IUP picked up wins of 12-4 and 8-1 – the Crimson Hawks' seventh and eighth straight – as they improved to 10-12 overall and 8-4 in the PSAC West, remaining in fourth place in the division.
The home runs for Hogue brought her season total to six while McCoy is now at three.
Hannah Mercer (Hollidaysburg/Hollidaysburg Area) hit the Crimson Hawks' fifth homer, which was her fourth of the year.
Alexa Campbell (Manheim/Manheim Central ) picked up her fifth win of the year in IUP's 12-4 opening win, giving up four earned in the complete seven innings. The Crimson Hawks gave her early run support, scoring four in the second alone on RBI singles by
Taylor Mercurio (Pittsburgh/Seton-La Salle) and
Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center) and a triple by
Megan Gould (New Germany/Forest Hills).
Mercer's homer came in the fourth inning, a solo shot that gave the Crimson Hawks a 5-2 lead. That started a streak of four straight innings with a run for IUP, with Hogue hitting a two-run homer in the fifth and McCoy blasting a three-run shot in the seventh.
Mercer, Gould and McCoy each finished with three hits apiece as IUP totaled 18 base knocks in the game.
Amanda Spindler (Brownsburg, IN/Cathedral) had the complete game win in game two, giving up one earned run in seven innings for her third victory of the year.
Allison Viguers (West Chester/West Chester East) went 3-for-4 with two doubles – bringing her total to three on the day – and drove in a pair of runs.
Rachel Francis (Jefferson, OH/Jefferson) also went 3-for-4 and Gould added two hits as the Crimson Hawks finished with 12 hits in the second game.
The Crimson Hawks scored two in the first inning and another in the third, taking a relatively slim 3-1 lead to the seventh. Gould opened the top half with a single, which was followed by back-to-back homers from McCoy and Hogue as IUP went on top 6-1. IUP added two more in the inning before Spindler shut down the Golden Eagles in the seventh for the 8-1 victory.
IUP will look to extend its win streak this weekend with a pair of home doubleheaders against Slippery Rock on Friday and California (Pa.) on Saturday.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk.
