MIDWAY, Ky. - Gearing up for its toughest stretch of the River States Conference season, Midway softball got a needed sweep against Alice Lloyd Saturday.

The Eagles dominated their namesake counterpart 10-2 in six innings in the opener, then avoided a late-game collapse to win the second game 5-4.

GAME ONE

After falling behind 2-1 on a Chloe Taylor two-run home run in the top of the second inning, the Eagles held a 9-0 scoring advantage and 11-2 hit edge the rest of the way. 

They tied the game at two in the bottom of the second, when Kyra McCall led off with a double before coming around to score on a Sidney Hudnall groundout.

Midway then blew things open with a four-run fourth inning, highlighted by a two-run Ryann Berger home run.

Berger, Kennadi Thompson and McCall all went 3-for-4 at the plate. Berger had three RBIs while McCall had two, the last coming on a walk-off single in the sixth that secured the run-rule win.

Breanna Beach settled down nicely after allowing the second-inning home run, scattering four hits over six innings to up her record to 5-3.

GAME TWO

A sweep seemed inevitable going into the top of the seventh. Thanks to an RBI fielder's choice by Carly Jones and a two-run single by Payton Baum in the sixth, the Eagles held a 5-0 lead against an Alice Lloyd team that had just two hits in its previous five at-bats.

But things got tight in a hurry. All told, six straight Alice Lloyd batters reached to begin the seventh and following RBI singles by pinch-hitters Ellee Hunt and Katie Deeds and a two-run single by Mckenzie Orfield, Midway's lead was down to 5-4 with two on and nobody out.

But luckily, reliever Makayla McDowell came through when inserted in a very difficult situation. Against the heart of the Alice Lloyd lineup, she got Ellie Keene to hit into a 6-5 fielder's choice that forced the runner out at third.

She then got Maleigh McDaniel, a .409 hitter entering the day, to fly out to centerfield, then forced an Aspyn Branham groundout to secure her first save of the season. 

Thompson had two more hits and scored a run to lead the offense for Midway, which has won nine of its last 12 games to improve to 13-15 overall and 11-7 in the RSC.

The Eagles next two series will be against the RSC's two division leaders in Shawnee State (Ohio) and Indiana Southeast. Midway will host the Bears, who are 13-5 after losing a doubleheader to the 18-2 Grenadiers on Saturday, at 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday.

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