OWENSBORO, Ky. - Thirteen-and-a-half innings of dominance were enough to offset one half-inning of disaster, as the Midway softball team earned its first doubleheader sweep of 2024 at Brescia on Monday.

The Eagles coasted to an 8-1 win in the opener, then overcame a seven-run Bearcat second inning in game two, rallying for a 9-7 win off a seventh-inning, two-run home run by Sydney Apling.

GAME ONE

Fresh off a game where it set previous season-best marks in runs and hits, the Eagle offense stayed hot in game one. Carly Jones started things off in the second inning, driving in a run on a single then scoring on a Kyra McCall groundout. Jones then made it a 5-0 game in the following inning on a bases-clearing, three-run triple.

Fresh off four-hit performance in the second game of a doubleheader against Oakland City Sunday, Tenley Gilbert went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the opener. Sawyer Snodgrass also went 3-for-4, recording multiple hits for the third-consecutive game, while Jones, Kaydence Hamilton and Katie Rhodes all had two hits.

They were backed up by  Breanna Beach's first complete game as a college pitcher. Though recording just one strikeout, Beach consistently kept the ball in play for her defense, scattering six hits and one run.

GAME TWO

Midway seemed poised to dominate again. After scoring on a first-inning error, the Eagles pulled ahead 5-0 following RBI singles by McCall, Kennadi Thompson and Rhodes, with Thompson's hit driving in two of her game-high four RBIs.

However, a Bearcat team that scored less than seven runs in 12 of its first 14 games scored seven times in the bottom of the second alone, a rally aided by two Eagle errors and a pass ball.

The score remained 7-5 for two innings until Midway eventually pulled back even, thanks to RBI singles by Payton Baum in the fifth and Thompson in the sixth. 

That set the stage for some late-game dramatics. With two out and no one on in the top of the seventh, Jones extended the at-bat with a single. Next hitter Apling, who was substituted into the game in the third inning, then picked a perfect time for her first career home run on a shot that gave Midway the lead back.

The Bearcats brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in the bottom half, but Eagle pitcher Alexia Hoskins forced Mikah Goeppner into a game-ending groundout. Hoskins had a great showing in relief, allowing just one unearned run in six innings of work.

Jones, Thompson and Ryann Berger all had two hits in the game, with Berger scoring twice for 6-12 Midway, which got back to .500 in River State Conference play at 4-4.

The Eagles will return to RSC action with home conference doubleheaders against Point Park (Pa.) Friday and Ohio Christian Saturday. They were originally slated to host two games against Georgetown Tuesday, but those were canceled to avoid playing a third doubleheader in as many days.

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