IRVINE, Calif. – Four different Eagles smashed home runs on Saturday to help No. 8 Concordia University Irvine sweep an afternoon doubleheader against Redlands.
After a low-scoring affair in the opener, both offenses came alive in the rematch before the heart of the lineup helped CUI earn its second win of the day.
Callie Nunes also planted her name further in the CUI record books as she recently moved into first place in both career strikeouts and career saves in program history.
Game One: CUI 3, Redlands 0
Sydney Sprinkle opened the scoring by depositing a solo shot over the fence in the first inning of game one. That one swing turned out to be all the offense CUI would need in the matinee.
Callie Nunes pitched 4.1 innings of shutout softball and brought a no-hitter into the fifth inning.
Kelsea Sweeney and
Rae Flores followed her on the mound and helped preserve the shutout after the Eagles tacked on a couple more runs in the fifth. Nunes improved to 4-2 on the season and now owns 69 career victories.
This season, Nunes has ascended to the top of the
CUI record books in multiple categories. She added seven more punchouts to her season total Saturday, bringing her total to 672 strikeouts over the course of her esteemed CUI career. Natalie Brown previously held the top mark with 657.
Nunes is also just one win shy of moving into a tie for second place on the all-time list with former teammate Grayson Harvey (70). Natalie Brown holds the school record for career wins with 81.
Game Two: CUI 8, Redlands 7
In the second game of the day,
Erika Morris improved to 3-0 on the mound and was backed by some timely hitting from her teammates.
Lauren Fairchild provided a RBI double in the second to put CUI up 2-0. Freshman shortstop
Rylie Rohr then promptly cranked a two-run homer to push the lead to 4-0 for the Eagles.
"It being my first home run, it was really fun just seeing everybody's face coming in (to the dugout)," admitted Rohr. "It was awesome being surrounded by my teammates and helping us put some runs on the board."
After Redlands got on the scoreboard in the third,
Missy Nemeth quelled any momentum swing with a solo homer to give CUI a 5-2 advantage.
However, the visitors came alive with five runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead 7-5. CUI needed a spark and got it when Fairchild parked a game-tying two-run homer over the wall to make it all square at 7-7.
"I think all and all, we have a strong offensive team," said Fairchild. "We just need to keep it going and whenever we get runners in scoring position, get them in any way we can."
The next inning,
Marisa Stockton provided a pinch-hit RBI single for the difference-maker in what ultimately stood up as the game-winning hit. Pinch-runner
Brooke Jackson scored the go-ahead run and Morris closed out Redlands in the final frame to preserve the 8-7 victory.
The Eagles have now won five of their last six contests.
CUI returns to action at Biola on Wednesday, March 31. CUI will then host the Red and Black on Saturday, April 3 for a PacWest doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.
For the updated CUI softball schedule, CLICK HERE.
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