JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Indiana University of Pennsylvania softball program seems to be finding its mojo that it had lost after peeling off ten-in-a-row earlier this month, taking its third and fourth consecutive wins on Thursday, all on the road, as they beat the Panthers of UPJ, 7-5 and 11-7.

Six different student-athletes had a multi-hit game on the afternoon, which made up 12 of the Crimson Hawks' 21 base knocks.
 
The half-dozen IUP players included Madison Pikula, Jaycee Haidze, Delaney Patella, Jordan Sylvia, Paige Truax, and Jess Cekada with only Patella not contributing a hit in the other contest.
 
Sylvia went for a team-high five RBIs, outlasting the Panthers pitcher to slug a solo homer during a 12-pitch at-bat plus two RBI-groundouts in game two while bringing home the others on a sacrifice fly and a single.
 
Patella crossed the plate the most at four scores, tacking on three of those plus three ribbies on top of a bomb to the deepest part of the park in the back half.
 
Pikula picked up a pair of doubles, Haidze, Elizabeth Kasper, and Lexi Dawson claimed one apiece, and Sara Tailford raced around the bases for a two-RBI triple.
 
Kasper was the victorious pitcher in the first matchup, coming in for long relief duty and ending up going the distance with 6.2 frames of three-run ball with a trio of whiffs which proved to be enough.
 
Game two saw Bella Bucy snag the win on the bump over 4.2 innings where she did not walk anybody, surrendered three earned runs (five total), and K'ed four before Kasper slammed the door shut with a perfect four-out save.
 
The race for the final two tournament spots out of the western division will come down to the final weekend as three clubs; IUP, Slippery Rock, and Gannon; all enter their final contests at 17-13, tied for the fourth-fifth seeds. Indiana (PA) hosts Seton Hill (20-8), Slippery Rock welcomes Edinboro (9-19), and Gannon has Mercyhurst (19-11).
 
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