JOLIET, Ill. -- Two days after winning in walk-off fashion over Olivet Nazarene University, the University of St. Francis softball team duplicated the feat in another dramatic way against Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Judson University on Friday afternoon.  The Game 1 thriller paved the way for an eventual doubleheader sweep over the visiting Eagles, with the Fighting Saints securing 6-5 and 6-2 victories.

Game 1:  USF 6, Judson 5
The Saints (9-12, 4-0 CCAC) staked themselves to a 3-0 lead following a three-run second inning.  Jaelynn Taylor led off the inning with her first career triple before scampering home two pitches later via a Kylie Cook RBI single.  Chylece Cluck added two RBIs to her season total a bit later with her two-out single to left field resulting in Jillian Zodrow and Morgan Smardo crossing the plate.

Judson (8-20, 0-4) would benefit from its first of five unearned runs that were gifted by the Saints' defense in the third stanza before four more Eagles crossed the plate after a two-out USF error in the sixth inning.  JU used four straight hits to plate its four runs in the inning, which allowed the guests to take their first lead of the afternoon at 5-4.

Fortunately for St. Francis, Judson would return the defensive favor in the final frame of the game as three Eagle errors in the inning resulted in USF authoring its walk-off win.  After Cluck reached base on an error, Emily Boyle advanced her to second on a sacrifice bunt.  Seeing that third base was unoccupied, Cluck decided to go for the extra base, which resulted in a wild throw from JU.  That allowed Cluck to score and tie the game at 6.

Aided by that momentum, Emily Hurst and Isabella Landeros produced back-to-back singles in the next two at-bats.  Connecting for a sharp single through the left side, Landeros was able to advance pinch runner Zoe Ditter to second, but a misplay in left field would see the ball roll past the Judson defender, allowing Ditter to score the game-winning run.

Hurst finished the contest going 3-for-3, including a double and a walk.  Rose Mwaro provided another two hits.

USF starting pitcher Kiersten Manning received a no-decision in the circle after tossing the first 5 2/3 innings.  She struck out six batters against two walks, while not giving up an earned run.  Boyle (3-5) picked up the win in relief, retiring all four batters she faced with one strikeout.

Game 2:  USF 6, Judson 2
The Saints overcame a 2-0 deficit after four innings by scoring twice in the fourth inning and another four runs in the fifth frame.

Mwaro started the first rally with her lead-off single before Cook brought her home on a RBI double to left field.  Smardo later made it a 2-2 game with her RBI groundout to score Landeros, who had reached base earlier via a five-pitch walk.

Taylor's sacrifice fly to center field gave the Saints a 3-2 lead one inning later before back-to-back hits from Cook (RBI single) and Hailey Kaddatz (two-run double) accounted for three insurance runs in the inning.

Boyle (4-5) once again delivered in the circle, going the distance and allowing just five hits for her second win of the day.

Hurst matched her three hits in the opener with three more in the nightcap.  Boyle, Landeros and Cook each produced two hits in the contest.

Up Next
The Saints will travel to Chicago on Tuesday (April 1) to take on Saint Xavier University in a CCAC doubleheader beginning at 3 pm.

You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.