INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP softball team recorded a pair of run-rule victories on Thursday against Mercyhurst at Podbielski Field, winning by scores of 12-4 and 9-1.
 
IUP improves to 17-8 on the season and 3-2 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play. The Hawks racked up a combined 22 hits on the day, led by Jaycee Haidze's outstanding effort at both the plate and in the circle.
 
Haidze combined for four hits, four RBI and three runs scored. She also pitched in game two, allowing two hits and one run over five innings. At the dish, Haidze doubled and homered in the second game.
 
The well-rounded effort came on the day of head coach Shawna Bellaud's 200th career game at IUP since taking over the program in 2019. Madison Pikula added four hits and a rare inside the park home run in the first inning of game two.
 
The Hawks have posted wins in nine of the last 11 meetings against Mercyhurst (6-15, 2-5) since the 2021 season. IUP has put up several offensive outbursts this season, scoring 10 or more runs for the fifth time in 2024 and the third time at Podbielski Field.
 
Game One: IUP 12, Mercyhurst 4 (Six Innings)
Playing aggressively and prompting several Mercyhurst miscues, the Crimson Hawks blew the game open with nine runs in the bottom of the third inning. Mercyhurst eventually extended the game with two runs of its own in the fifth before the Crimson Hawks closed out the run-rule win with a final run in the sixth.
 
Olivia Hillegas moved to 3-0 on the season, making an impromptu start in the circle. She went 4.2 innings before Amanda Fischer finished out the final 1.1 innings with scoreless relief.
 
Pikula posted three hits in the opening game with Paige Truax, Delaney Patella and Haidze adding multiple knocks as well. Patella finished with three RBI, surpassing 50 in her career.
 
Mercyhurst had five errors on the day with several coming during IUP's big third inning. Patella pushed all the momentum in favor of the Crimson Hawks after a single up the middle was misplayed, a three-run play that ended with Patella crossing the plate herself for a 6-1 lead. Singles from Pikula and Jordan Sylvia each scored a run before a miscue on a fielder's choice plated two more runs for a commanding 10-1 lead.
 
Pikula ended the game in the sixth after reaching on a single. Pinch runner Sarah Tailford raced home on the misplayed ball in the outfield for the final 12-4 margin.
 
Game Two: IUP 9, Mercyhurst 1 (Five Innings)
Haidze did it all in the second game for IUP, accounting for four RBI and two strikeouts for the Hawks. She went the distance in the circle, improving her record to 2-0 after allowing just two hits on the day.
 
Haidze helped her own cause at the plate with a two-run double in the first and a two-run home run in the third. Maddie Griffin and Tess Smiley finished with two hits apiece in another solid offensive effort for the Hawks.
 
Pikula got it all started with a well-placed ball down the left field line that bounced around in the outfield, allowing her to zoom home with a rare inside the park home run. Sylvia doubled the IUP lead with a double, later coming home to score on a Smiley groundout for a 3-0 edge.
 
Haidze delivered her first extra-base knock of the game with a two-run double, plating Patella and Truax for a 5-0 cushion. The Lakers got on the board with a sacrifice fly in the third before IUP answered back in the home half of the frame.
 
Haidze got the run back she surrendered and then some, blasting a two-run home run to right center for a 9-1 margin. In the fifth, Haidze induced a flyout with a runner on third to finish out the victory.
 
Up Next
It will be a short turnaround for IUP, back home on Friday, March 29 for a doubleheader with Edinboro. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.
 
Follow
For coverage of the IUP softball program, follow the Crimson Hawks on X (Twitter) and Instagram @IUPsoftball and online at IUPathletics.com. 
   

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