EDWARDSVILLE – Scoring a combined 28 runs while allowing only five, including launching two grand slams in game two, helped the Wilkes University softball team to a non-conference doubleheader sweep of Clarks Summit University on Wednesday evening, capturing game one 11-1 before taking game two 17-4, both in five innings.

The Lady Colonels improved to 19-13 on the season.

Wilkes wasted no time getting on the board in the first game, exploding for five runs on three hits with the aid of a Defenders error. Jordyn Kondras (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) led off the game with a single before stealing second. After Sarah Gibson (Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley) walked, Britny Jumalon (Torrance, CA/Torrance) doubled to centerfield, scoring Kondras and moving Gibson to third. Gracen Staunton (Kernersville, NC/Northwest Guilford) followed with a two-run triple down the right field line, followed by a sacrifice fly from Caitlin Brown (Glen Cove, NY/Glen Cove). Haley Welker (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth) reached on an error and stole second before moving to third on a passed ball and scored on a dropped third strike.

The Lady Colonels pushed across three more runs in the bottom of the second, highlighted by a two-run single from Jumalon and an RBI double off Staunton's bat to make the score 8-0.

Sarah Birchmeier (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) hit a two-run double to the right-center gap in the bottom of the fourth to increase the lead to 10-0, coming into score when Christina Gambino (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) hit a double to center.

Clarks Summit scored its lone run in the top of the fifth on two hits and one error.

Gambino improved to 4-2 with the win, tossing all five innings while allowing just one run (zero earned) on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Kondras (2-3, two runs), Jumalon (2-2, two runs, three RBI's), and Staunton (2-3, two runs, three RBI's) all finished with multiple hits.

Game two started out with much of the same, as Jumalon doubled with one out before advancing to third on a wild pitch and coming home on a sacrifice fly from Staunton to take an early 1-0 lead.

The Lady Colonels increased the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the second when Erika Gerace (Orwigsburg, PA/Blue Mountain) led off with a double and moved to third on passed ball. Megan Magoon (Barnegat, NJ/Barnegat) followed with an infield single and stole second allowing Alexis Kessler (Bangor, PA/Bangor) to move both runners up on a sacrifice bunt and Jumalon scoring Magoon with a groundout.

The Defenders took the lead in the top of third with four runs on three hits.

Wilkes retook the advantage with four runs in the bottom of the frame.  Welker reached on an error to start the inning and stole second before Birchmeier walked. Both runners executed a double steal before each moved up on a wild pitch with Welker scoring. Gerace followed with a walk and stole second with Magoon walking to load the bases. All three runners then moved up on a wild pitch before Kessler singled to move Magoon to third and score Gerace. Kessler followed with a steal of second and Jumalon hit a sacrifice fly scoring Magoon to make the score 7-4.

The Lady Colonels exploded in the bottom of the fourth for 10 runs on five hits and four errors, highlighted by grand slams from Gambino (MAC Freedom-leading seventh home run) and Brown.

Gerace improved to 2-0 this season, going the distance while surrendering four runs (three earned) on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Kessler (2-3, one run, two RBI's), Staunton (2-3, two runs, one RBI), Brown (2-4, two runs, four RBI's), and Gerace (2-2, three runs) led Wilkes at the plate in game two.

The Lady Colonels return to action tomorrow when they host Penn College for a non-conference doubleheader starting at 5:00 p.m.