NAPLES, Fla. – Freshman pitcher Keely Sweet tossed 11.1 innings over two games on Thursday and allowed no runs in that span as Kenyon College swept two games against Bridgewater State University and Rockford University. The Ladies came back to defeat the Bears 8-6 before shutting out the Regents 6-0.
 
GAME ONE
 
The Bears and Ladies each scored two runs in the first inning before BSU took control of the game in the second.
 
Kenyon had two out in the frame, but a walk issued to Courtney Leddy loaded the bases and in the next at-bat, a single from Morgan Cox and a throwing error from Kenyon allowed three to score. With a 5-2 lead, Bridgewater got a single up the middle from Shannon Krindle which drove in the Bears' sixth run.
 
Ladies coach Erin O'Neill then made the call for Sweet to take the circle.
 
From the third inning to the seventh, Sweet was outstanding. She retired 15 of the 18 batters she faced and allowed just one hit.
 
In that span, Kenyon's offense helped the team get back into the contest. After Sweet retired the side in the top of the third, the Ladies responded with four runs to tie the game.
 
With two out, freshman Allison Stratman doubled to right center putting runners on the corners. Lauren Graf, another freshman, followed with a hard-hit grounder off the glove of Bridgewater's pitcher bringing in Britny Patterson. Kenyon then tallied another run as Stratman ran home after BSU tried to catch Graf stealing second. The massive third inning was then capped off by Grace Pilz's two-run homer to right center.
 
With the score tied 6-6, Kenyon put more pressure on Bridgewater as they got two runners in scoring position in the fourth and fifth frames. While no runs came across for the Ladies then, they were able to break through in the sixth.
 
Patterson and Stratman each had RBI singles in the sixth and put Kenyon up for good, 8-6.
 
In the home half of the seventh, BSU got just one runner in scoring position as Sweet closed the deal for her third win of the season.
 
GAME TWO
 
The Ladies had no trouble against the Regents as they posted their second shutout of the season.
 
Kenyon got off on the right foot in the first as Patterson drove in Stratman with a single through the left side after Stratman stole second.
 
After scoreless second and third innings, the Ladies increased their lead to 3-0 in the fourth. Nicole Horita tripled to right center that frame and drove in Graf and Juliana Delsante.
 
In the fifth, Amanda Ogata and Graf each recorded RBI doubles to extend Kenyon's lead to 5-0. The team's final run of the game was delivered by Patterson with a single up the middle in the seventh plating Ogata.
 
Sweet's six innings of work yielded just two Rockford baserunners in scoring position while scattering four hits. Austen Whibley replaced her freshman counterpart in the seventh and despite a wild pitch that allowed two runners to move into scoring position, Whibley closed the game with three straight outs after that.
 
Ogata and Patterson each collected three hits while Madi Maldonado and Stratman added two to lead the offensive effort.
 
Next up for Kenyon are games tomorrow against the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Alverno College in Fort Myers.