Courtesy: Nazareth Athletics
Freshman Maggie Burdick had six hits and four runs batted in, senior Sarah Simmons added five hits with a double, two triples and three RBI and junior Emily Daciw struck out a career-high 17 batters as the Nazareth College Softball team swept a doubleheader from Keuka in the Empire 8 opening series.
Nazareth (8-6 overall, 2-0 Empire 8) came from behind to score a 10-5 win in the opener and then rallied late with eight runs in the seventh inning to post a 12-5 win in the nightcap. On Monday, Daciw earned Empire 8 Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time.
In the opener, Keuka (0-8, 0-2 E8) scored a pair of runs in each of the first two innings to surge to a 4-0 lead. Nazareth answered in the top of the third to tie the game at 4-4.
Freshman Katie Schmidt and junior Justine Brooks led off the inning with singles and with one out, Simmons doubled to score one runner before sophomore Megan Pum singled to score another run and cut the lead in half. Burdick capped the inning with a double to score two more runs and tie the score.
Another four-run inning in the fifth gave Nazareth an 8-4 lead.
After a leadoff walk to Simmons to start the inning, sophomore Marissa Berghorn, Pum, Burdick, senior Jessica Klem and junior Haile Bennett connected for five consecutive hits to score three runners.
With two outs, sophomore Cassidy Hoffmier singled home the final run of the inning for the 8-4 advantage.
Keuka scored once in the fifth but Nazareth added two more in the seventh for the final score.
Senior Maddie Funk struck out five batters for her fourth win of the season.
In the second game, Nazareth took a lead with two runs in the second inning. Doubles by Berghorn and Burdick accounted for the first run and a Klem run scoring double gave the Golden Flyers an early 2-0 edge.
Nazareth doubled the lead in the fifth with two more runs as Simmons tripled to start the frame and Berghorn singled her home. Burdick followed with a double to put runners on second and third before a wild pitch allowed the fourth run to score.
The Wolves answered with two runs in the sixth inning but Nazareth exploded for eight runs in the top of the seventh inning to put the game out of reach.
The inning was highlighted by doubles for Berghorn, Brooks and Pum and a two-run triple for Daciw.
The difference in the game was the pitching of Daciw who struck out 10 of the first 15 batters she faced and finished with 17 K’s. The 17 strikeouts is the most since Kelly Kocher struck out a school record 19 batters in 2010.
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