The Sacred Heart University softball team secured a 3-1 victory over Mount St. Mary’s on April 19, clinching the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference series with a two-run home run by Elle Leckrone in the eighth inning.
This win moved Sacred Heart ahead of Mount St. Mary’s in the conference standings and marked their sixth conference series win of the season.
Pitching dominated early in Emmitsburg, Maryland, as neither team scored until the fifth inning. Sacred Heart’s Emily Campion held Mount St. Mary’s hitless through four innings before allowing a run in the fifth. She rebounded with a perfect sixth inning to keep her team within reach.
In the seventh, Cierra Bender led off with a double and was advanced to third by Ella Stoops’ sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Alexa Barbera delivered a double to tie the game at one run each and send it into extra innings.
Katherine Burras started off for Sacred Heart in the eighth with a single before Leckrone hit her fourth home run of the year to give her team a two-run lead. Campion pitched into the eighth before Emily Heath came on in relief to record her first save of the season and secure Campion’s second win.
Sacred Heart achieved its first comeback victory after trailing through six innings this year and tied Campion’s season-high for innings pitched. The Pioneers are scheduled to host Iona for an important conference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 21.
