GAME 1 STATS  l  GAME 2 STATS

UPLAND, Ind. - The Marian University softball team traveled to Upland, Ind., on Friday and swept Mid-Central College Conference foe Taylor University, 9-0 and 12-3. The sweep improved the Knights' record to 22-4 overall and 4-0 in the MCC.

In the first contest of the day, freshman Emily Gwaltney went the distance for the Knights in the circle. Gwaltney allowed only one hit and struck out four. She also went 4-for-4 at the plate.

Senior Melissa Coutz started things off with an RBI-single, which would eventually be the winning run, to right center to give the Knights the early lead in the bottom of the first.

MU would keep up the defense after the first and Gwaltney would not allow another hit in the contest.

Junior Chelsea Bell's only hit in the contest would be a good one for the Knights. Her two RBI-single to right field gave the Knights the additional insurance runs.

With two quick outs in the top of the fifth, the Knights blew up the scoreboard. Junior Mallory Ortwein stepped to the plate and hit a three-run shot to left field. The homerun was Ortwein's fourth this year. This gave the Knights the 6-0 lead.

Freshman Helen Rogers hit her first collegiate homerun for the Knights in the top of the seventh inning to extend the Knights' lead by another run and sophomore Kelsey Uebelhor added her own RBI-single to left field before the Knights would score their final run on a wild pitch.

Young went 2-for-4 for the Knights and Ortwein drove in three.

In the second victory of the day, senior Sandy Corum earned her ninth win of the season for the Knights. She allowed eight hits, struck out eight, and walked one.

MU got the offense going immediately in the second game when they loaded the bases off a Bell single and two walks. Bell was then walked in for the first Knights' run.

In the second inning, junior Jessica Slayton crushed her first homerun of the season, the second of her career, to center field to bring in two. The Knights would lead, by a 3-0 margin, after two innings.

The Knights took advantage of Taylor errors in the third inning by putting runners in scoring position. Uebelhor converted on a bunt attempt that brought in another run.

It seemed as though the Taylor defense could not control the Knights. The Knights had the bases loaded off only one hit, and another run was walked in for MU.

It wasn't until the fifth that the Trojans got their bats going. After the Knights posted three in the top half of the inning off an RBI-single by Gwaltney, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly from Coutz, Taylor answered with three runs of its own to cut the lead to five and take the game to the sixth inning.

The Knights finished things off with a four-run sixth inning. Bell hit an RBI-single to left field to score senior Angie Such. With two on base, Rogers connected for her second homerun in as many games and the Knights would go on to the 12-3 victory.

Bell went 4-for-5 for the Knights with one RBI, while Uebelhor had three hits and one RBI. Slayton, Rogers, and Ortwein each drove in two.

The Knights are back in action on Saturday when they host Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in a doubleheader at the Marian University Softball Field. First pitch of the twin bill is slated for 1 p.m.