CHICAGO – The No. 23 ranked Saint Xavier University softball team (34-10/23-1 CCAC) celebrated eight seniors on 'Senior Day' with a doubleheader sweep, and series sweep, of University of St. Francis (Ill.) in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play Saturday afternoon at the SXU Softball Field in Chicago, Ill. In game one of the series, redshirt sophomore infielder Jazmyn Casas (Berwyn, Ill./Illinois-Chicago/Taft) had an RBI single and junior pitcher Lily Strand (Evergreen Park, Ill./St. Louis/Evergreen Park) scattered five hits in a 4-2 victory in Joliet, Ill. Saturday afternoon, senior infielder Mallory O'Connor (Bourbonnais, Ill./Olivet Nazarene/Bishop McNamara) collected four RBI while going 3-for-3, and Strand allowed just two hits in a 9-1 triumph in five innings in game one. Six players each had an RBI to help sophomore pitcher Payton Antkiewicz (Dyer, Ind./Hanover Central) come away with the win in a 9-3 decision in game two.

Between the doubleheader, the Cougars recognized eight seniors with a ceremony: infielder Taylor Becker (Alsip, Ill./Shepard), utility player Emily Bickett (Plainfield, Ill./South Suburban/Morton/Plainfield South), Casas, who academically is a senior, outfielder Fiona Crane (Evergreen Park, Ill./Northern Illinois/Mother McAuley), outfielder Haley Matlock (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport), catcher Morgan Natanek (Palos Heights, Ill./Stagg), O'Connor, and outfielder Jaelyn Wiers (Morris, Ill./Bethel/Kankakee/Morris).

Game One:

• Casas was 1-for-3 overall with a run scored, a stolen base and a walk.
• Crane nabbed four bases, finishing 3-for-5 with two runs.
• Sophomore infielder Danielle Goodman (Poplar Grove, Ill./North Boone) went 2-for-4 with a double.
• Junior infielder Aubrey Wroble (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored.
• Strand (16-6) had a final line of 7.0 innings, five hits, two earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts.
• Casas opened the scoring with an RBI single and an error by St. Francis brought two runs in for a 3-0 advantage in the top of the 1^st.
• Wroble put down a bunt single, and an error allowed Crane to score to push the lead to 4-0 in the top of the 6^th.
• The Fighting Saints cut the deficit in half with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the inning. Strand than induced a flyout.
• After giving up a one-out walk in the bottom of the 7^th, strand rolled a ground ball for a game-ending 6-3 double play.

Game Two:

• Crane scored three runs while going 3-for-3 with a triple to lead off the bottom of the 1^st.
• Matlock was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a stolen base and an RBI.
• Casas went 1-for-2 with an RBI, a run scored and a hit-by-pitch.
• Wroble plated a pair of runs with a walk and a steal, going 1-for-2.
• Sophomore outfielder Natalie Gomez (Oak Forest, Ill./Lewis/Tinley Park) doubled and was 1-for-2 overall.
• Strand won her team-leading 17^th game (17-6) after tossing 5.0 inning with two hits, one run (unearned), four walks and posting two strikeouts.
• An error by SXU allowed a run to score, giving USF an early 1-0 lead in the top of the 1^st.
• Saint Xavier responded with an RBI single by Matlock and an RBI base hit by O'Connor in the home half of the inning.
• Crane singled in the bottom of the 2^nd, and an error brought in Natanek and Crane for a 4-1 advantage.
• O'Connor pulled an RBI single through the right side of the infield in the bottom of the 3^rd.
• In the bottom of the 4^th, Casas picked up an RBI on a hit-by-pitch, O'Connor sliced a two-run single and sophomore designated player Isabelle Poortenga (Dyer, Ind./Lewis/Lake Central) hit her team-leading fourth sacrifice fly of the season.

Game Three:

• Wroble was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a walk and a stolen base.
• Matlock went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and a steal.
• Casas scored twice, finishing 1-for-4 with an RBI.
• O'Connor doubled, going 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored, and a walk.
• Gomez had two hits in two at-bats.
• Antkiewicz (13-3) went the distance for her eighth complete game of the season, pitching 7.0 innings with 10 hits, three runs (two earned), two walks and three strikeouts.
• Casas drove in her team-leading 70^th run of the season and O'Connor clubbed her 17^th double to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1^st.
• St. Francis got a run back in the top of the 3^rd on an RBI double.
• The Fighting Saints tied the game in the top of the 4^th after an SXU miscue allowed a run to score. They took the lead in the top of the 5^th off a sac fly.
• In the bottom of the frame, Poortenga drew a bases loaded walk, Goodman lifted a sacrifice fly, Natanek hit an RBI single and Crane walked with the bases loaded, allowing Saint Xavier to go up 6-3.
• The Cougars added three runs in the bottom of the 6^th when a USF error brought in a pair of runs and Goodman scored on a passed ball.

No. 23 Saint Xavier (34-10/23-1 CCAC) wraps up regular season CCAC competition when they welcome St. Ambrose University (Iowa) to the SXU Softball Field for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 21 starting at 2:00 pm. They then travel to Davenport, Iowa to conclude the three-game series with a seven-inning contest on Wednesday, April 22 at 4:00 pm.