GRANGER, Ind. -- After last competing over ten days ago, the University of St. Francis softball team used its rest to its advantage, exploding for 27 hits in its 5-2 and 10-4 doubleheader sweep of Indiana University South Bend in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference action at Pfiel Field on Saturday afternoon.  The Fighting Saints asserted their offensive dominance, using 23 singles and four extra bases hits to produce their season-high run total.

There was plenty of offense to go around for USF with six different players authoring multi-hit games.  Eight players produced at least two hits on the day between the two games and all nine starters in Game 2 recorded a hit.  Kylie Cook and Jaelynn Taylor led the way with five hits and two RBIs each on the afternoon.

Other big hitters on the day were Morgan Smardo (3-for-4, 2 RBI) and Rose Mwaro (3-for-9, 2 RBI).  Hailey Kaddatz also added two hits to the Saints' offensive effort, while driving in four runs.

St. Francis had 11 hits in the opener and upped that count to 16 in the nightcap for the 27 total over the two contests.  Indiana South Bend, meanwhile, totaled 15 hits across the two games.

Game 1:  USF 5, Indiana South Bend 2
The Saints (11-14, 6-2 CCAC) held a 2-1 lead before gaining three runs in the fifth frame.  Five singles in the inning would produce the three runs starting with Emily Hurst and Isabella Landeros with back-to-back hits.  Cook, Taylor and Kaddatz quickly followed with hits of their own, all taking credit for one RBI apiece.

The Titans (8-24, 2-6) would threaten by loading the bases with no outs in the sixth inning, but starting pitcher Kiersten Manning would work herself out of the jam, allowing just one run, while accounting for all three outs via strikeouts.

Manning (6-7) went the distance for the Saints in the circle, earning credit for her sixth win on the year.  She recorded seven of her 21 outs on strikeouts, while allowing two runs on just five hits.

Game 2: USF 10, Indiana South Bend 4
After recording five hits through the first four innings and trailing 3-0 at that point, the Saints' bats went to work with an explosive seven-run, seven-hit outburst in the fifth frame.  Seven of the first eight USF batters would get on base to start the stanza with Smardo completing the offensive attack with a RBI single to left field to mark the score at 7-3.  Emily Boyle and Landeros started the scoring with bases-loaded singles, while Cook got the Saints back even at three-all with her one-out hit-by-pitch to score Mwaro.  Taylor followed with a RBI single of her own before Kaddatz came through with a big two-run single to left field to pave the way for Smardo's run-scoring single.

The Saints would produce four more of their season-high 16 hits in the seventh inning to plate three more runs to their total, capped off by a RBI triple from Mwaro.

After Indiana South Bend's early 3-0 lead, Boyle (5-6) would hold the Titans to just one more run in the fifth inning before Manning was called upon in relief for the final frame.  Boyle would strike out four batters against four walks, while allowing eight hits in her six innings of work en route to the win.

Up Next
The Saints will have a quick turnaround, traveling to Whiting, Ind. on Sunday (April 13) to take on the Crimson Wave of Calumet College of St. Joseph.  The CCAC matchup is slated to begin at 12 pm at the Whiting Sports Complex.

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