The No. 7 Eagles ran their winning streak to six after sweeping the Chaminade Silverswords in Saturday's doubleheader at Eagles Field.  The Eagles relied on their pitching depth, with each of their three top pitchers contributing on Saturday.  Timely hitting, combined with strong pitching, gave the Eagles the edge in game one.  In the second game of the day, the Eagles continued their strong weekend, building a lead early and putting the game away quickly.

Game One: Callie Nunes was in the circle for the Eagles in both games, and she was again a hand full for the Silverswords.  Over the first three innings, Nunes was unhittable, but she also struggled with her control.  In the first two innings, she walked two hitters and hit another, but got through without giving up any runs.

In the bottom of the second, the Eagles got on the board themselves.  After a leadoff walk by Mackenzie Graham, Julianna Covarrubias came in to pinch run and was moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Michelle Lieng.  Two batters later, Haylee Kloosterman singled up the middle, driving in Covarrubias, and giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the fourth inning, Nunes continued to struggle with her control.  She walked four consecutive batters before being relieved by Jordan Quinn with the bases loaded and no outs.  The 3+ innings for Nunes was the second shortest start of her career.  Despite entering the game in a jam, Quinn rose to the occasion, with the help of the defense behind her.  Quinn induced a double play, Gjertsen-to-Graham-to-Sprinkle, and then got out of the inning by forcing another groundball.  Midway through the fourth, the game was tied at one.

"I was definitely a little nervous," said Jordan Quinn.  "I knew I could handle it, though."

The game continued to swing back and forth over the next two innings.  In the bottom of the fifth, a pair of singles by Heather Nonora and Megan Massa, a passed ball, and a sacrifice fly by Gjertsen put the Eagles back on top.

Though the Silverswords came right back with a run of their own in the top of the sixth, the Eagles weren't done yet.  With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Michelle Lieng reached on an infield single and then stole second.  Sydni Dix then brought home Lieng with a pinch hit single up the middle.  Dix then moved up to second on the throw, was advanced to third on a sac bunt by Kloosterman, and came home on a heads up play, stealing home when the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher to put the Eagles up 4-2.

"Coach Rosenthal told me when I got to third, 'just watch the throw.  It's loopy.' The pitcher just kept turning her back so I just went for it," said Sydni Dix. 

"I haven't done it here before, but I've done it before," said Dix.  "It was fun."

Erika Morris then came in and retired the Silverswords in order in the seventh to earn her first career save.

Game Two: While the Eagles eked out a win in game one, they dominated from start to finish in game two.  Nunes was back in the circle, and though it was another short outing, she got back on track, striking out seven and giving up just one hit and no runs in three innings.  She got all the help she needed, both out of the Eagles' bullpen and in the potent CUI lineup. 

After earning the save in game one, Erika Morris came out of the pen again in game two, pitching two shutout innings and earning the win.  With the victory, Morris' record now sits at 4-1 on the season.

The Eagles jumped out to a quick lead, taking a 1-0 lead after Sydney Sprinkle hit a line drive home run over the center field wall.  The Eagles continued to pile on runs as the game went on.  In the second inning, they added three runs on four hits.  The offense continued to rack up hits and score runs as the game went on.  In the fourth inning, the
Eagles added two more runs and stranded the bases loaded.  In the fifth, they finally put the game away.  After scoring an unearned run earlier in the inning, the Eagles capped off their win with a walk off double by Megan Massa, plating two, and earning the Eagles the 9-0 win in five.

The Eagles have now won six consecutive games.

"We're just going back to the basics," said Quinn.  "What can we do to get back to what was working?  That's what we're focused on."

The Eagles return home on Monday, taking on Hawaii Hilo in a doubleheader.  Game one is scheduled for 12 PM, and the second game will began approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.

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