CENTER VALLEY, PA (March 21, 2021) -- Senior Mindina Lieback combined to go 7-for-9 in the doubleheader as she led the King's College softball team to the doubleheader sweep, 10-2 in game one and 10-1 in five innings in game two, over the host DeSales University. The Monarchs improve to 4-4 on the season and in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) play with the wins Sunday afternoon.

Game 1 (W, 10-2):
The Monarchs came out strong to start game one as first-year Kiersten Krouse kicked things off with a lead-off double to left field. A single by Lieback advanced Krouse to third, and sophomore Bailey Loyack put the ball in play to score Krouse and lead DeSales, 1-0, in the top of the first.

DeSales (2-6) responded right away in the bottom of the inning, plating two on back-to-back two-out doubles as King's trailed, 2-1, after one inning of action.

Junior Lindsey Leppo restarted the Monarchs offense in the top of the third with a lead-off walk and advanced to second during Krouse's at bat. Lieback stepped up and delivered for King's as she launched a two-run home run over the left-field fence to give King's the 3-2 lead in the top of the third.

King's extended the lead in the top of the fifth as Lieback led off with another great at bat, lacing a double to the left field fence. Loyack snuck a single to center field, advancing Lieback to third and reaching second safely on the throw. It was junior Kristi Ann Skok's turn to drive in a run, knocking in Lieback and advancing Loyack to third on a single to right center to push the lead to 4-2.

One more run crossed the plate in the top of the sixth for the Monarchs, pushing the lead to 5-2, as sophomore Gabrielle Visconti worked a lead-off walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from first-year Sydney Bachman, and scored on an RBI double to left center by Leppo.

A huge top of the seventh inning secured the game one win for King's as they plated five runs on six hits to take the game, 10-2, over the Bulldogs. Loyack, Bachman, Krouse, Lieback, sophomore Hannah Farr, and senior Gabriella Medina all recorded singles in the exciting inning for the Monarchs.

Lieback led the charge for King's, going 4-for-5 with a 2-run home run and a double. Krouse, Loyack, Skok, Farr, and Leppo all added two hits each as part of the team's 16-hit effort for the game. First-year Brandi McIntosh recorded her first collegiate win, pitching the complete seven-inning game and giving up just two runs on seven hits.

Seven different Bulldogs recorded a hit in the loss, and Hallie Muffley and Reilly Kerr both recorded doubles to score the team's two runs in the game. Heather Hall, the starter for DeSales, took the loss as she gave up four runs on nine Monarch hits.

Game 2 (W, 10-1, 5 innings):
Another strong start for the Monarchs as Krouse worked a lead-off single and scored on a double to right center from Lieback as King's led, 1-0, heading to the bottom of the first.

The Bulldogs looked to tie the game in the second, but after a lead-off double with the runner advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt, graduate student Kris Kocher recorded back-to-back strikeouts to keep DeSales scoreless through the first inning of play. They got their chance to tie again in the bottom of the third and succeed on a lead-off home run from Kerr. DeSales put a runner on second with just one out, but another great effort from Kocher to strikeout the next two batters shut down the Bulldogs offense to keep the game tied heading to the third.

King's was quite active in the top of the third as they loaded the bases with just one out. Then, senior Morgan Briggs worked a walk to score Skok. First-year Molly Gillette reached successfully in the next at bat, and all the Monarch base runners were safe to add another run to the scoreboard. Sophomore Olivia Krupski came up big with a sacrifice fly to score Farr. Next up was Leppo who recorded a single to center field, and a Bulldogs throwing error plated two for the Monarchs as they extended their game two lead, 6-1, over the host DeSales.

The Monarchs tacked on four more runs in the top of the fifth inning to push their lead to 10-1. Gillette led off with a double to the center-field fence, and Leppo walked to put two runners on with one out. Lieback delivered again, driving in two on an RBI single. It was Skok's turn next as the junior sent a rocket over the centerfield fence for her first homer of the season, sending the Monarchs to the bottom of the inning to secure the win, 10-1, in just five innings over the Bulldogs.

Lieback led the offensive charge again for the Monarchs, going 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs, and a run scored. Skok matched Lieback in game two, also going 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. Krouse, Farr, Briggs, Gillette, and Leppo all posted hits in the win as part of the Monarchs 11-hit effort. Kocher got the win on the mound, pitching the complete five-inning game. She gave up just one run on six hits and struck out six. The graduate student also recorded the 200th strikeout of her career in the bottom of the fourth inning, moving up to fourth all-time in King's softball history.

Kerr and Victoria Agnoli both totaled two hits each in the loss for the Bulldogs. Emma Laliberte recorded the loss, pitching 2.1 innings and giving up five runs on five hits.

The Monarchs are off for the week before their home-and-home series with local rival Wilkes University as they are set to travel across town on Saturday, March 27th for a 1:00 p.m. start time. King's hosts the Colonels on Sunday, March 28th also with a 1:00 p.m. start time at Betzler Athletic Complex.