SOUTH ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa.- The Keystone College softball team opened United East Conference play with a doubleheader sweep over Cairn University by scores of 10-2 and 15-10 in their home opener Saturday afternoon at Hillside Park.

Game One: Keystone 10, Cairn 2 (6 inn.)

Cairn opened the game with a bang as Riley Curtis belted a solo home run to center. Keystone responded with four runs in the third which were highlighted by a two-RBI double by Sam Ratti (Brodheadsville, Pa./Pleasant Valley) and a two-run home run by Julia Gorel (Carbondale, Pa./Carbondale Area) to make the score, 4-1.  

Sydney Wright added a run for the Highlanders in the top of the fourth with an RBI groundout which scored Julia Bruestle. The Giants busted the game open in the bottom half of that inning as Kiara Taylor (Berlin, Md./Decatur) smacked a three-run home run to left center to and added three runs in the bottom of the sixth to secure the mercy run rule win.

Ratti led the offense with three hits and three RBI. Taylor and Gorel combined for five RBI. Emily Schultz (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock Area) was the starting pitcher in game one and tossed a complete game with six strikeouts and gave up two earned runs.

Game Two: Keystone 15, Cairn 10

Errors were a big problem for Keystone at the beginning of the game as Cairn was able to capitalize on their mishaps. They scored eight runs in the first two innings, six of them being scored in the first.  

Keystone finally got in the scoring column with a solo home run by Gorel in the bottoms of the second. The offense would then come alive as they scored 10 runs in the bottom of the third to take their first lead of the game.

Cairn added two runs in the fifth off a Keystone throwing error and a SAC fly to make it a one-run game. The team was able to add some insurance runs as they tallied four runs in the bottom of the sixth to help put the game away and secure the sweep.

Schultz and Gorel each had three hits while Taylor and Angelina Morley (Deposit, N.Y./Deposit) both had a game high three runs batted in.

Isabella Benitez (East Windsor, N.J./Hightstown) earned her first win in the circle as she pitched 3.1 innings in relief with three punchouts and allowed three earned runs off five hits.

What's Next

Keystone (3-9, 2-0 United East) heads to Penn State Harrisburg for a United East doubleheader on Wednesday, Apr. 2 at 3 p.m.