Box Scores
W 19-10
W 10-5

ETTRICK, Va. - Senior catcher Haley Thomas was 7-for-8 with a double, two home runs, seven RBI and five runs, leading East Stroudsburg University to a doubleheader sweep at Virginia State (19-10, 10-5) in the Warriors' 2016 softball season opener on Friday afternoon.

Thomas homered in both games and sophomore 2B Heather Visco was 4-for-7 with a double, home run, seven RBI and three runs, including a grand slam and six total RBI in game two.

ESU scored 29 runs on 30 hits, including 13 for extra bases, in the doubleheader with eight Warriors collecting multiple hits.

Junior Rae Holden was 3-for-7 with a double, two RBI and four runs, sophomore OF Katherine Liedberg was 3-for-7 with a double, home run, three RBI and three runs and senior 1B Danielle Dungee went 3-for-8 with a double, two RBI and three runs for the Warriors.

Sophomore SS Mary Wallick, named first team All-PSAC East at third base as a freshman, was 3-for-9 with a double, three RBI and two runs. Sophomore OF Madison Oren (2-for-5, double, 3 RBI, run) and sophomore OF Cristina Coppola (2-for-7, triple, 4 runs) also had two hits each.

Visco and Liedberg both hit their second career home runs. Thomas hit her second and third, entering the season with one homer in 217 career at bats.

Junior left-hander Rachael Liguori threw a complete game in the opener. Seniors Amanda Carlin (5.0 IP, 5 runs, 4 earned, 6 hits, 2 strikeouts, 2 walks) and Allison Mende (2.0 IP, 0 runs, 2 hits, 2 strikeouts, 1 walk) handled the pitching duties in the nightcap.

ESU plays four games in Salem, Virginia this weekend, facing Ursuline and Clarion on Saturday and Davis & Elkins and Lake Erie on Sunday.

GAME 1 - W 19-10

The Warriors scored 19 runs on 19 hits, and rallied from a 9-5 deficit after four innings with five runs in the fifth, four in the sixth and five more in the seventh.

Thomas was 4-for-5 with a home run, five RBI and three runs and seven other players had two hits each.

Wallick walked and scored on an RBI single by Holden to open the game, but VSU (1-9) scored three in the bottom of the first. The Warriors tied it at 3-3 in the top of the third as Coppola tripled, Dungee had an RBI single and Visco added an RBI double.

ESU led 5-3 after the top of the fourth on a two-out RBI single by Wallick, then VSU plated six in the bottom of the frame to lead 9-5.

ESU scored five runs, all with two outs, in the fifth to take the lead for good. Liedberg had an RBI double, Oren clubbed a two-run single, freshman Samantha Pickar had an RBI triple and Wallick closed the inning with an RBI single.

In the sixth, ESU scored four times as Holden singled, Dungee had an RBI double, Visco singled, Thomas had a two-run single and Oren hit an RBI double.

The Warriors added four more in the seventh, including a three-run homer by Thomas and a solo shot by Liedberg.

GAME 2 - W 10-5

Visco hit a grand slam to highlight a five-run first inning as the Warriors completed the sweep.

Thomas doubled and Liedberg had an RBI single in the third, and ESU added four more in the fourth. Coppola walked and Dungee singled, followed by a two-run single by Visco and a two-run homer by Thomas.

Visco was 2-for-3 with a single, homer and six RBI, and Thomas was 3-for-3 with a double, homer, two RBI and two runs to combine for five of ESU's 11 hits.

Visco's six RBI are the most by an ESU player since Jen Veronesi had seven at West Chester in 2007.

ESU led 10-1 before VSU scored three runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth.