WILKES-BARRE, PA (May 1, 2021) -- The fourth-seeded King's College softball team totaled 27 hits in just 10 innings of action as they defeated the visiting Lycoming College Warriors 8-0 and 12-3 to sweep the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) quarterfinals at Betzler Fields on Saturday afternoon. With the win in the best-of-three series, the Monarchs (20-10, 14-10) advance to the MAC Freedom semifinals next weekend.

Game 1 (W, 8-0, 5 innings):
Graduate student Kris Kocher was dominant in the circle for the Monarchs in game one, recording six strikeouts in the first two innings of play before the King's bats got started. Then in the bottom of the second, back-to-back errors from the Warriors put runners on second and third with one out. Junior Lindsey Leppo laid a beautiful bunt down the first baseline to score sophomore Hannah Farr. Two consecutive singles up the middle from first year Kiersten Krouse and senior Mindina Lieback plated three more for the Monarchs, as King's held the early 4-0 lead over Lycoming (10-16).

Singles from sophomore April Bonwit and Farr set the stage perfectly for an RBI double from sophomore Gabrielle Visconti. Leppo delivered again with a sacrifice fly to right field to score Farr and push the King's lead to 6-0 after three innings of play.

Lycoming's best chance to score in the game came in the top of the fourth as they loaded the bases with no outs, but Kocher struck out three straight batters, all looking, to diminish the threat and preserve the shutout.

King's plated the final runs to end the shortened game in the bottom of the fifth after Leppo reached safely on a bunt single to third base and Krouse singled up the middle. Lieback delivered the final blow, knocking in Leppo and Krouse with a double to center field fence, giving King's the game one win, 8-0, in the MAC Freedom Quarterfinals.

Lieback paced the offense with a perfect 4-for-4 effort, adding a team-high four RBIs and a stolen base. Krouse continued her hot hitting, going 3-for-4 with two runs, an RBI, and a stolen base, and Leppo added a solid 2-for-2 day at the plate with two runs and two RBIs. Kocher secured the stellar win, recording the complete-game shutout, giving up just four hits and striking out a career-high 11 batters.

Morgan Wetzel led the Warriors, going 2-for-2, and Kylie Russell added a double in the loss. Russell took the loss as the Warriors starter, giving up eight runs on 13 hits in 4.2 innings of action.

Game 2 (W, 12-3, 5 innings):
For the 20th time this season, the Monarchs got on the board first as Krouse and Lieback both singled and stole bases to put two runners in scoring position for sophomore Bailey Loyack's two-RBI single up the middle, giving King's the early 2-0 lead.

The Monarchs added an explosive second inning as they totaled six runs on six hits, highlighted by a leadoff triple from Visconti to hold a convincing 8-0 lead after two innings of play.

Lycoming chipped away at the King's lead, scoring two in the third on some heads-up base running and a sacrifice fly from Wetzel. The visitors tacked on one more in the fourth as they trailed, 8-3.

King's secured the win in the shortened game in the bottom of the fourth, as junior Kristi Ann Skok led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. An RBI double from Bonwit scored Skok, and Bonwit crossed the plate on an RBI from senior Gabriella Medina, pushing the lead to 10-3. Heads up base running from the Monarchs scored Visconti, and an RBI single from Krouse posted the game two final, 12-3.

Krouse completed the doubleheader with another impressive 3-for-4 appearance in game two with two runs, two stolen bases, and an RBI. Lieback, Skok, and Bonwit all posted two-hits in the win. Kocher recorded her second win of the day, pitching three innings, giving up two runs on four hits, and striking out three. First year Brandi McIntosh came on in relief to pitch a solid two innings and give up one run on two hits.

Russell and Morgan Klosko each had two hits in the loss for the Warriors. Payton Whary recorded the loss as the Warriors starter, giving up eight earned runs on nine hits in 1.1 innings of action.

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The Monarchs move on in the MAC Freedom softball tournament as they will face the winner of Delaware Valley and Misericordia at a site and time to be determined next Saturday, May 1 in the MAC Freedom semifinals.