Aston, PA – Neumann University used a pair of big innings to break open tight contests on their way to a sweep of visiting Keystone College in Colonial States Athletic Conference softball action on Thursday afternoon.  The Knights lift their record to 11-3 on the season including an unblemished 6-0 mark in conference play while the Giants slip to 2-8 on the season as Keystone remains winless in four CSAC contests. 
 
In Thursday's opener, Keystone took a 1-0 lead in their first at-bats as Antonette Scialpi (Hughestown, PA/Pittston Area) singled home Karissa Worobey (Scranton, PA/Scranton), but Neumann responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning to claim a 3-1 advantage.
 
The score remained that way until the bottom of the fourth inning when the Knights scored seven runs on six hits and one error to open up a 10-1 lead before shutting down Keystone in the top of the fifth inning to win by the mercy rule.
 
Marissa Giordano and Becky Guinto had two hits apiece while Danielle Grayson and Melissa Rozumalski drove in three runs apiece to power Neumann's offense in the opener.
 
Kristin Beaty earned the win in the circle after allowing one run on four hits to go along with four strikeouts over the first four innings for the Knights while Lauren Wilkie tossed a scoreless fifth inning with a pair of strikeouts to seal the win.
 
Worobey, Scialpi, Kaitlyn Sawicki (Factoryville, PA/Lackawanna Trail), and Lindsey Bucklaw (Carbondale, PA/Carbondale Area) accounted for the Giants' four hits in the opener while Worobey suffered the loss after going the distance on the rubber for Keystone with one strikeout.
 
Neither team was able to plate a run over the first 4.5 innings of Thursday's second game before Neumann used a four-run fifth inning to open up a 4-0 lead, getting a pair of RBI singles before Katie Halter hit a two-run double.
 
Keystone cut their deficit to 4-1 in the visitor's sixth when Emily Long (Shamokin, PA/Lourdes Regional) doubled home Scialpi, but the Knights got the run back in the bottom half of the frame on a solo home run off the bat of Allie White to cap the scoring.
 
White, Giordano, Grayson, and Halter had two hits apiece in the nightcap to lead Neumann, who got three scoreless innings and two strikeouts from Wilkie, who started as the Knights' pitcher.  Haley Broomell was credited with the win after tossing the final four innings with one run against on two hits to go along with four strikeouts.
 
Worobey, Scialpi, and Long each had two hits for Keystone in the second game with Worobey again going the distance in the circle with a pair of strikeouts.
 
Keystone returns to the diamond on Monday afternoon with a CSAC doubleheader against Cairn University.  First pitch between Giants and Highlanders in scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Keystone's Edmunds Field.