CHICAGO – The No. 19 ranked Saint Xavier University softball team (21-6/4-0 CCAC) pounded out 34 hits and scored 22 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Indiana University South Bend in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) action Thursday afternoon at the SXU Softball Field in Chicago, Ill. The Cougars were the visiting team on the scoreboard as recent storms made the field in South Bend, Ind. unplayable and SXU has an artificial playing surface. Sophomore catcher Natalie Johnson (Bourbonnais, Ill./Grand Valley State/Bradley-Bourbonnais) smashed a pair of home runs, driving in three, while senior infielder Abbie Carr (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) had three extra-base hits with two RBIs in 12-2 victory in game one. Carr added three more RBIs and a double, and freshman pitcher Payton Antkiewicz (Dyer, Ind./Hanover Central) threw her second consecutive shutout on a 10-0 triumph in game two.

Game One:

• Johnson was 2-for-5 overall.
• Carr went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and a run scored.
• Junior infielder Mallory O'Connor (Bourbonnais, Ill./Olivet Nazarene/Bishop McNamara) tallied three RBI while going 1-for-2 with a walk.
• Junior infielder Kaitlyn Wright (Chicago, Ill./Marist) was 2-for-4 with a triple and she scored twice.
• Junior outfielder Haley Matlock (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) also was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
• Junior outfielder Fiona Crane (Evergreen Park, Ill./Northern Illinois/Mother McAuley) collected four hits in five trips to the plate. She stole three bases, scored twice and she added an RBI.
• Sophomore pitcher Lily Strand (Evergreen Park, Ill./Saint Louis/Evergreen Park) was the winning pitcher (8-4), throwing 6.0 shutout innings with just two hits surrendered, three walks and two strikeouts.
• Senior pitcher Julianne Claas (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Hamilton) worked the bottom of the 7^th, allowing one hit, two earned runs, three walks and a strikeout.
• In the top of the 2^nd, Carr sliced a two-run triple to right field to put SXU on the board, 2-0.
• Crane scored from second base on a sacrifice fly off the bat of O'Connor in the top of the 3^rd.
• Junior designated player Taylor Becker (Alsip, Ill./Shepard) hit an RBI single through the left side of the infield in the top of the 4^th to extend the advantage to 4-0.
• O'Connor drove in Crane again on a sac fly in the top of the 5^th. With her two sacrifice flies, O'Connor is now the single-season record holder for Saint Xavier in that category. Johnson followed with a home run over the wall in left to make it 6-0.
• Six runs crossed the plate for the Cougars in the top of the 7^th. Johnson mashed a two-run home run, her fourth homer of the season, Matlock hit a 'Little League Home Run' when she hit an infield single and she scored on a throwing error, Crane pulled an RBI single through the right side of the infield and O'Connor lined an RBI single to right field.
• The Titans drew a bases loaded walk and the hit a sac fly in the bottom of the 7^th before Claas induced a fly out to end the game one batter later.

Game Two:

• Carr was 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base.
• Becker went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run.
• O'Connor had two hits in four at-bats with an RBI double and a run scored.
• Matlock finished 2-for-3 with an RBI double, two runs and a walk.
• Crane was 2-for-4 with two steals, an RBI and a run scored.
• Wright scored three runs while going 2-for-3 with a walk.
• Freshman infielder Danielle Goodman (Poplar Grove, Ill./North Boone) went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
• Sophomore outfielder Aubrey Wroble (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) came away with three hits in five trips to the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base.
• Antkiewicz improved to 8-1 in the circle after throwing 7.0 innings of three-hit ball with two walks and two strikeouts.
• Carr sparked a rally in the top of the 2^nd with an RBI base hit, Becker drove in a run on a fielder's choice and Goodman lined an RBI single to right field to give SXU a 3-0 lead.
• In the top of the 3^rd, Carr laced a two-run double to right field, but was thrown out at third trying to stretch for her second triple of the day, to push the lead to 5-0.
• Crane stole third base and scored on a throwing error in the top of the 4^th. Two batters later, O'Connor hit a ground ball in the gap in left center for an RBI double for a 7-0 advantage.
• Matlock sliced an RBI double down the left field line in the top of the 7^th. Becker picked up her second RBI of the game with a base hit that brought in Matlock. Crane lined an RBI single back up the middle to cap the scoring.
• Antkiewicz worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the 7^th to help extend Saint Xavier's winning streak to seven games.

No. 19 Saint Xavier (21-6/4-0 CCAC) is scheduled to play Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.) in a CCAC doubleheader at the SXU Softball Field on Saturday, April 5. First pitch for game one is slotted for 12:00 pm.