DALLAS, PA (March 28, 2024) -- After dropping game one of the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) doubleheader 8-0 in five innings, the King's College softball team exploded for 17 hits behind a one-hitter from Emily Novicki as the Monarchs defeated Misericordia, 15-1, in five innings in game two to hand the Cougars their first conference loss. With the split, the Monarchs improve to 10-8 overall and 1-3 in the conference standings, while the Cougars drop to 14-6 and 5-1 in the MAC Freedom.
 
Game 1 – L, 0-8 (5 Innings):
The Monarchs worked a pair of walks in the opening frame, but Misericordia (14-6, 5-1 MAC Freedom) found their stride early, plating three runs on four hits in the bottom of the inning.
 
After a quick second, the Cougars added to their advantage, scoring two more in the bottom of the third on a pair of hits to jump ahead, 5-0.
 
A lead off single from Paige Bergan in the top of the fourth gave the Monarchs some life as Colleen Shuler then worked a one-out walk. An infield ground out advanced the runners to put a pair in scoring position, but the Misericordia defense took care of business to retire the final batter of the inning and maintain their 5-0 lead.
 
The hosts plated their sixth run in the bottom of the fourth, but despite back-to-back two-out singles from Ellie Higdon and Harley Sullivan, King's (10-8, 1-3 MAC Freedom) remained scoreless heading into the bottom of the fifth.
 
Misericordia kept their foot on the pedal to finish off the shortened game as three consecutive hits led to the game-ending runs as the Monarchs fell, 8-0, in the opener at Anderson Field.
 
Higdon went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Sullivan and Bergan put up the remaining two hits in the contest for King's. Brandi McIntosh earned the loss in the first 3.0 innings of work, giving up nine hits and six earned runs while striking out two.
 
Nikki Elliott led the Cougars as she went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, three RBIs, and two runs. Erin McGee threw the complete 5-inning game while giving up four hits in the circle.
 
Game 2 – W, 15-1 (5 Innings):
It was a completely different story in the night cap as the Monarchs dominated from the opening frame to hand the Cougars their first MAC Freedom loss in 2024. Megan Mitola and Jessica Perella led off with consecutive walks before back-to-back singles from Sullivan and Bergan got King's on the board, 2-0, early. Misericordia put their lead off batter on, but a pair of outfield fly outs and a strikeout by Novicki shut the door on an early comeback effort to maintain the 2-0 edge.
 
King's scored two more in the second as BrookeLynn Walters led off with a single down the left field line and advanced to third on a double to right by Breanna Goldspiel. The Monarchs third hit in the inning was an infield single from Mitola that drove in one before a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher by Perella plated the second score in the frame as King's went ahead, 4-0.
 
The lone blemish in the contest for the King's defense came in the bottom of the second as the Cougars led off with a walk, and after Novicki's second strikeout and a groundout to Bergan at first Misericordia recorded their only hit of the day on a two-out infield RBI single to put the hosts on the board with the Monarchs ahead, 4-1.
 
The Monarchs responded immediately, exploding for six runs on seven hits in the top of the third. Bergan singled to left and stole second before scoring on Novicki's double to center. Consecutive singles from Colleen Shuler and Walters plated another run, and a sacrifice bunt off the bat of Goldspiel tacked on the seventh run of the game. Mitola drove in Walters with a one-out single to center field before a hit to right from Higdon and a two-out two-RBI double from Sullivan pushed the King's edge to 10-1 midway through the third.
 
Novicki and the Monarchs defense went to work, retiring all three batters in the frame behind two strikeouts, to maintain their 10-1 advantage. Three walks in four at bats for King's loaded the bases in the top of the fourth before a fielder's choice allowed Novicki to score for the lone run in the inning as the Monarchs lead increased to 11-1.
 
Novicki fanned three batters in the bottom of the fourth to set up another productive inning at the plate for the Monarchs. After some defensive changes by the Cougars to try and prevent the shortened game, Sullivan hit a one-out double to center and scored on an error by the Misericordia right fielder that allowed Bergan to reach third. King's delivered four straight singles from Novicki, Shuler, Walters, and Goldspiel to plate two more runs, and an infield ground out by Mitola scored the final tally of the contest as the Monarch lead swelled to 15-1 heading into the final inning.
 
The Monarchs wasted no time wrapping up this game as Novicki struck out another pair of Cougar hitters to end the contest in five innings with a 15-1 victory over Misericordia.
 
Walters had a strong day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs, while Sullivan had a 3-for-4 effort with two doubles, two RBIs, and a run. Mitola drove in a team-high four RBIs off a pair of hits and added a pair of runs, while Bergan, Novicki, and Shuler all put up two hits, two runs, and two RBIs in the win. Novicki had a day in the circle, throwing the one hitter and allowing one earned run while fanning nine.
 
Emily Susanj recorded the only hit in the loss for Misericordia, while Gianna Foreman scored the lone run. Sophia DeFebo earned her first loss of the season as the starter, throwing the first 2.2 innings and giving up 10 earned runs on 12 hits.
 
--
 
The Monarchs will be off for the Easter holiday weekend before returning to action on Monday, April 1. King's will take on the University of Scranton at Magis Field at 3:00 p.m.