EDWARDSVILLE, Pa. – The Wilkes University softball team celebrated Senior Day at the Ralston Athletic Complex Sunday afternoon, splitting the afternoon's doubleheader with Misericordia University. The Colonels took game one 10-4 and fell in game two 5-10.

Wilkes finished the day 14-12 overall after the split.

Game One – Wilkes 10, Misericordia 4
The Colonels got back to winning ways in game one of the doubleheader, snapping a four-game losing streak. Misericordia scored first on a single up the middle in the top of the first. Wilkes then exploded for eight unanswered runs, starting with a RBI single from Olivia Dougher (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) in the bottom of the first that plated fellow senior Maddy Maloney (Scranton, PA/Lackawanna College). In the next at-bat, Victoria Butler's (Mountain Top, PA/Crestwood) RBI single scored Mia Butka (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) to give the Colonels the lead 2-1.

Julia Kapitula (Mount Olive, NJ/Mount Olive) started the second inning with a walk and quickly moved into scoring position as Hana Cross (Kendall Park, NJ/South Brunswick) reached on an error by Cougar pitcher Juleigh Bowmaster. Maloney then singled to drive in Kapitula, advancing to second on the play. Butka kept the rally going with an RBI single to left field that plated Cross, followed by a single for Talia Piragas (Old Forge, PA/Old Forge). Back-to-back RBI singles by Dougher and Butler put the Colonels ahead 7-1, and Kapitula put another run on the board with a single to shortstop in her second at-bat of the inning.

The navy and gold added two more runs in the fifth, as Piragas reached on an error and scored Cross from third. Dougher then drove in her third run of the game on a single to right field, making it a 10-3 ballgame.

Misericordia added one more run in the top of the seventh but it was too little too late as Wilkes not only snapped their own losing streak, but ended the Cougar's 10-game winning streak coming into the afternoon.

Lauren DeMarco (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) (4-5) pitched a complete game, allowing four runs (one earned) on seven hits in the win. Five hitters had multi-hit games, with Dougher and Butka having three hits each. Dougher led the team with three RBIs, followed by Butler with two.

Bowmaster (2-3) pitched the loss, allowing eight runs on 10 hits. Casey Funesti went 4-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs.

Game Two – Wilkes 5, Misericordia 10
 Misericordia scored two runs in the top of the first and doubled their lead with two more in the third to go ahead early 4-0. Butka then put the Colonels on the board in the bottom of the inning with a sacrifice fly, making it a 4-1 ballgame.

Two more Cougar runs in the top of the fourth pushed the lead to 6-1, before Ally Stafursky scored a solo home run in the bottom half of the frame to make the score 6-2. Dougher's dominant day at the plate continued in the fifth as her two-RBI single helped the Colonels avoid the mercy rule.

Cross then hit a towering home run off the right-field scoreboard in the sixth, but the lead was too much to overcome as the Colonels fell 10-5.

Tessa Stafursky (Eynon, PA/Valley View) (3-2) was given the loss, allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits through 3.1 innings. At the plate, Maloney, A. Stafursky, and Cross led the team with two hits each.

Gabby Cruz (10-3) pitched the win for the Cougars, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits through four innings of work. Gianna Russo led the team going 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs.

Prior to the day's contests, Wilkes celebrated the careers of senior quartet Maloney, Dougher, Cross, and DeMarco as a part of the senior day festivities.

The Colonels take to the diamond again on Wednesday, April 15^th as they travel to face Lycoming College in a Landmark Conference clash. First pitch against the Warriors is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.