EDWARDSVILLE – The Wilkes softball team hit the Monday blues out of the park with 14 runs on 25 hits in a historic sweep of Misericordia University at the Ralston Athletic Complex. The Colonels won game one 4-3 and game two 10-3, their first wins against the Cougars since 2018 and the first sweep in the Internet Era (since 2009).

Wilkes improves to 14-10 with the victories while Misericordia falls to 15-9 on the year.

The Colonels opened the scoring of game one in the third inning, as Olivia Dougher (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) drove home Mia Butka (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) with a single up the middle. In the very next at-bat, Kayla Burleson (West Chester, PA/B. Reed Henderson) hit into a double play, but allowed Haylee Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) to score and make it a 2-0 game. Hannah Boyd (Escalon, CA/Escalon) made it three runs in as many at-bats with a single to center field, and the Colonels closed the inning with a 3-0 lead.

Misericordia got on the board in the top of the fourth with a single to second base, but the Colonels got on the board again thanks to a Burleson double to left field in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 4-1 game.

The Cougars scored two more runs in the sixth inning to close the gap down to 4-3, but the Colonel defense held strong and allowed Lauren DeMarco (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) to close out the game with her first save of the season in the final frame.

Sami Hendershott (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) (4-1) pitched six innings in the victory, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits with four strikeouts. DeMarco allowed one hit in the seventh with one strikeout. At the plate, Calaman led the team going 3-for-4.

Jennifer Milisits (5-4) was credited with the loss, pitching three innings and allowing three earned runs on nine hits with one strikeout. Bridget Doherty was the lone Cougar with a multiple-hit game, going 2-for-4 at the dish.

The Colonel offense exploded to start game two, scoring seven runs in their first time at the plate. The scoring started with the bases loaded, as Hayden Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) scored Hana Cross (South Brunswick, NJ/South Brunswick) after she was hit by a pitch. Next was Dougher, who singled down the right field line and drove in another run. Burleson then reached first as the Cougars tried to get Calaman out at home, but the throw was not in time and Wilkes took a 3-0 lead. Boyd then cleared the traffic on the base paths with a monstrous grand slam to center field, her second of the year, to give the Colonels a 7-0 lead.

The Cougars got on the board with a sacrifice fly in the second inning to make it a 7-1 game, but Burleson responded in the Colonels' half of the inning with a two-run double to make it 9-1.

In the fourth inning, Lilo Garrett hit a two-run home run to bring the score to 9-3, but Burleson again was the one to answer with a sacrifice fly that scored Calaman to make it 10-3.

DeMarco entered the game in the fifth and kept the Cougars off the board for the rest of the game, earning her second save of the night allowing only one hit with four strikeouts. Butka (3-5) earned the win, pitching four innings allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits with two strikeouts.

Calaman was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate in game two, with both Burleson and Boyd recording four RBIs in the contest.

Emma Griffin (0-1) was credited with the loss, allowing nine earned runs on nine hits through three innings pitched with three strikeouts. Sierra Miller led the team at the plate going 2-for-3, while Garrett had two RBIs on her home run.

The Colonels will look to carry the momentum of this sweep to their next matchup, a conference clash with the University of Scranton on Thursday, April 18 at the Ralston Athletic Complex. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.