Box Scores
W 7-5 / W 4-2

MARS HILL, N.C. – Junior CF Alicea Ashe and sophomore 3B Rachel Gieringer hit back-to-back home runs in top of the first inning in the opener to set the tone as East Stroudsburg University handed Mars Hill its second and third losses of the season with a doubleheader sweep in non-conference softball on Tuesday afternoon.

The Warriors (4-8) were 1-4 in their trip to the Mid-South Classic over the weekend, but rebounded with strong efforts at the plate and in the circle to drop Mars Hill to 11-3 on the season, winning the opener 7-5 and completing the sweep with a 4-2 victory.

Ashe and Gieringer homered off Mars Hill starter Tara West with one out in the first inning, and the Warriors scored five runs in the fifth inning to go ahead 7-0 while senior Jackie Battaglino shut down the Lions before junior Caitlin Monahan entered to pick up the save in the seventh.

In the second game, Monahan threw a complete game, holding Mars Hill to two runs on 11 hits, and got out of bases loaded jams in the third and fourth innings of a 2-2 game. Junior Brittany Racek homered to open the top of the fifth for the Warriors and Monahan went deep in the sixth for an insurance run to help her own cause.

Racek had a pair of two-hit games, going 4-for-7 in the doubleheader, and Gieringer was 3-for-3 in the second game after homering in game one. Ashe and sophomore 1B Brittany Zanzalari also had two of ESU's 11 hits in the first game of the doubleheader.

The Warriors broke open the first game with their five-run fifth, capitalizing on a Mars Hill error on fly ball to center by Ashe to score four unearned runs. Gieringer also had a sacrifice fly, senior C Kara Darcey had an RBI double and Zanzalari belted a two-run double to put ESU ahead 7-0.

Mars Hill picked up three runs in the sixth, capped by a two RBI double by Taylor Morris, and added two more in the seventh as four of the first five batters reached base. Monahan entered with one out and a runner on third base in a 7-5 game, and Anna James flew out to right field and senior RF Amanda Dice threw out pinch runner Ashley Seawell at the plate to end the game.

In the nightcap, Racek walked to open the game and scored on a one-out double by Gieringer to give ESU a quick 1-0 lead. Amanda McArthur tied the game with a solo homer in the second before Monahan got out of a second-and-third situation.

Both teams plated runs in the third. Junior LF Jamie Mingis walked, Racek singled, Ashe laid down a sacrifice bunt and Mingis scored on a bunt base hit by Gieringer to put ESU back ahead.

Mars Hill scored on an RBI single by McArthur with one out in the bottom of the inning, but couldn't drive home the go-ahead run with the bases loaded and one out. Monahan got out of the fourth unscathed as well, and Racek's homer put the Warriors ahead for good.

Monahan went through the Mars Hill lineup four times but stranded 12 runners on base to pick up the victory, and her home run to lead off the fifth gave ESU a 4-2 advantage.

The Warriors will travel to Lenoir-Rhyne for a doubleheader at 2 p.m. on Wednesday before heading to Glenville, W.V. for a pair of games against West Virginia State and Glenville State.