CHICAGO – Junior pitcher Lily Strand (Evergreen Park, Ill./Saint Louis/Evergreen Park) earned a pair of victories in the circle as she helped the Saint Xavier University softball team (14-9/3-0 CCAC) begin Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) competition with a three-game series sweep of Judson University (Ill.) that concluded at the SXU Softball Field Saturday afternoon in Chicago, Ill. Strand struck out eight batters over 5.0 innings Friday afternoon at Judson with redshirt sophomore infielder Jazmyn Casas (Berwyn, Ill./Illinois-Chicago/Taft) driving in three runs in a 12-3 win in six innings in Elgin, Ill. Senior outfielder Haley Matlock (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) collected three RBI while sophomore pitcher Payton Antkiewicz (Dyer, Ind./Hanover Central) and freshman pitcher Alaina Peetz (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) combined for the shutout in an 8-0 victory in five innings in game one of the doubleheader Saturday. Senior infielder Mallory O'Connor (Bourbonnais, Ill./Olivet Nazarene/Bishop McNamara) paced the offense in game two, coming away with three RBI as Strand improved to 7-5 on the season, combining for a one-hitter with junior pitcher Hailey Wesner (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) in a 9-1 decision in five innings.

Game One:

• Casas finished 2-for-5 with a run and a stolen base.
• Junior infielder Aubrey Wroble (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) had four hits in four at-bats, scoring three runs with two steals, two RBI and a walk.
• Junior catcher Natalie Johnson (Bourbonnais, Ill./Grand Valley State/Bradley-Bourbonnais) was 2-for-4 with two runs and a home run.
• Senior outfielder Fiona Crane (Evergreen Park, Ill./Northern Illinois/Mother McAuley) collected two hits in four trips to the plate with two runs scored, a triple, a stolen base and a walk.
• Strand posted a final line of 5.0 innings, two hits, three runs (two earned), two walks and eight strikeouts. She also batted for the first time for the Cougars, going 1-for-4 with a double.
• Wesner worked an inning of relief, allowing two hits with one strikeout.
• Wroble scored on an error to give SXU a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1^st.
• Crane scored on a run down in the top of the 2^nd, and Casas lined a two-run base hit to push the advantage to 4-0.
• In the top of the 3^rd, Johnson connected for her team-leading fourth home run of the year.
• The Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the 3^rd on an error. They made it a two-run game, 5-3, after a two-run home run in the bottom of the 4^th.
• Saint Xavier rallied for seven runs in the top of the 6^th. Casas laced an RBI single, Matlock scored on a wild pitch, O'Connor hit an RBI single, sophomore infielder Danielle Goodman (Poplar Grove, Ill./North Boone) clubbed a two-run base hit, and Wroble drove in a pair with a base hit to center.

Game Two:

• Matlock had two hits in three at-bats with two runs scored, two stolen bases and a double.
• Casas was 1-for-2 with two RBI, a run, a walk and a steal.
• Johnson belted a two-run double in her only at-bat.
• Crane finished 1-for-2 with two runs scored, two stolen bases and a walk.
• Antkiewicz (6-3) tossed 4.0 innings, scattering four hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
• Peetz gave up a lead-off triple, however she left the runner stranded, collecting two strikeouts to preserve the shutout.
• The Cougars went up 3-0 in the bottom of the 1^st after Matlock drove in a run on an RBI groundout and Johnson smacked a two-run double.
• Matlock legged out a two-run double, Casas added an RBI on a groundout, and O'Connor sliced an RBI base hit for a 7-0 lead after two innings of play.
• Casas poked an RBI single through the right side of the infield in the bottom of the 4^th.

Game Three:

• O'Connor was 2-for-2 overall with a double, a run and a stolen base.
• Sophomore outfielder Isabelle Poortenga (Dyer, Ind./Lewis/Lake Central) went 3-for-3 with two RBI, two runs scored and a double.
• Matlock and Wroble each finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run, a steal and a walk, respectively.
• Crane had two hits in four at-bats with two stolen bases and a run.
• Junior designated player Kadence Baccam (West Des Moines, Iowa/Lewis/Dowling Catholic) collected her first hit and RBI for SXU, going 1-for-3 with a run scored.
• Strand allowed one hit over 4.0 innings with one earned run, two walks and three strikeouts.
• Wesner pitched a clean inning of relief as she retired all three batters.
• Saint Xavier jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the 1^st. O'Connor hammered a two-run double, Baccam connected for an RBI base hit and Poortenga hit an RBI single back up the middle.
• An RBI double by Judson in the top of the 2^nd made it a 4-1 ballgame.
• O'Connor responded with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning.
• In the bottom of the 3^rd, Poortenga smashed an RBI double and she scored on an RBI squeeze bunt off the bat of Wroble.
• Crane legged out an RBI infield single and Matlock ended the game with an RBI fielder's choice.

Saint Xavier (14-9/3-0 CCAC) starts a three-game series with Trinity Christian College (Ill.) on Tuesday, March 24 in Palos Heights, Ill. with a doubleheader starting at 2:00 pm. The series wraps up with a seven-inning contest at SXU on Wednesday, March 25 at 2:00 pm.