EDWARDSVILLE, PA. – The Wilkes University Colonels women's softball program opened their 2022 home slate with a pair of games against the Keystone Giants Wednesday afternoon at a rainy Ralston Athletic Complex.
 
The Colonels (6-4) swept the pair of games, taking home a 2-1 contest in game one before a nine-run first inning propelled them to a 18-7 victory in game two over the Giants (6-6)
 
The Colonels found home plate in the first inning after a Nicole Howell (Tunkhannock, PA/Tunkhannock Area) single to right, and then got out of a bases loaded jam with no outs in the top of the second without any damage.   The Colonels threatened with two outs in the bottom of the third with runners on first and second, but Keystone managed to get out without allowing a run.   The Navy and Gold got runners at first and second in the bottom of the fourth with a single out but failed to capitalize as the score remained 1-0 heading into the fifth.
 
The Giants finally hit paydirt in the top of the sixth after taking third on a wild pitch before bringing the runner home with two outs with a single to right.  The Colonels managed another runner on third with one out after a wild pitch by Keystone in the bottom of the sixth.  A RBI grounder up the middle by Bella Peters (Lancaster, PA/Penn Manor) gave the Colonels a 2-1 lead.  The Giants threatened with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh, but the Colonels got out of it with a deep fly to center to get Peters her first victory in the Navy and Gold.

The Colonels pitching struggled early in game two, walking the bases loaded and walking in a run with only one out.  The Giants brought in a second run before the Navy and Gold settled down and got out of the inning.  The Navy and Gold replied in the bottom of the first, with Rachel Pritchard (Wilmington, DE/Concord) batting in a run with a single to left.  The Colonels still had no outs with runners on first and second, and Emma Stauffer (Media, PA/Penncrest) took advantage with an RBI single up the middle to tie the game and take advantage of a Keystone error, and loaded the bases with no outs still afterwards.  A single to right from Hannah Boyd (Escalon, CA/Escalon) gave the Colonels a 3-2 lead with the bases still loaded and a lone out, and Sami Hendershott (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) walked in a run to give the Colonels the 4-2 advantage.  A deep single from Kaylie Capriotti (Levittown, PA/Pennsbury) gave the Colonels the 5-2 edge, then Nicole O'Rourke (Staten Island, NY/Susan E Wagner) cleared the bases with a grand slam to give the Colonels nine runs in a single inning.  The home run was O'Rourke's first of her career as a Colonel
 
A throwing error from the Colonels allowed the Giants to score a run with two outs in the top of the second, while a single to the outfield got the Giants another run in the third.  The Colonels go the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the third and Pritchard brought in another run with a single to the right side.  Allison Radicchi (Binghamton, NY/Windsor Central) cleared the bases with a deep double to center field to give the Colonels a 13-4 lead with her first hit and RBIs as a Colonel.
 
The Giants would score three in the top of the fourth, but Hayden Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) hit a single down the right foul line to bring the Colonels back to a 15-7 tally.  Pritchard would bring in another run with a single to right to make it 16-7, while a sacrifice fly from Howell and a throwing error by the Giants would make it 18-7. 
 
Peters threw a one-run complete game one, allowing only four hits and throwing a strikeout while also batting in the winning run.  Hendershott earned the victory in game two with a pair of strikeouts, while Hope Mullins (Midland, VA/Liberty) had three strikeouts in two innings of cleanup duty.  O'Rourke and Pritchard each hit three-for-four in game two, with O'Rourke having four RBIs and Pritchard three.  Nine Colonels recorded RBIs between both games.
 
The Colonels continue their opening slate of home matchups with a doubleheader against Alfred scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.  The Colonels and Saxons split a doubleheader back in 2017 at the Ralston Athletic Complex.