LEESBURG, Fla. – The Arcadia University softball team moved to 6-2 on the season with an 8-0 win over Becker (2-5) and an 8-4 triumph over Bowdoin (1-3) Thursday in Leesburg, Florida.
 
ARCADIA 8, BECKER 0 (6 INNINGS)
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Scarlet and Grey wasted no time getting to work. After freshman Mary Pat Murray retired the side in order in the top of the first inning, sophomore Jackie Bilotti led off the bottom of the frame with a single up the middle before stealing second. Classmate Kristin Cancelliere would move Bilotti to third on a fly out to right, before junior Nicole Iasiello plated her on a single to center.
 
Three more runs crossed the dish in the bottom of the third, beginning with a two-out single up the middle from Murray to plate Cancelliere from second; with Iasiello advancing from first to third on the play, Murray was able to advance to second on the throw. In the next at-bat, freshman Tori Zangrilli reached on a throwing error by the third baseman that allowed both Iasiello and Murray to score.
 
Fast forward to the fifth inning in which, after Murray struck out all three batters in the top of the frame, the Knights scored two more runs in the bottom half. Iasiello led off with a single to center, before a Murray double to center advanced her to third. Two batters later, sophomore Kayla Resh tagged a doubled to right center to plate both base runners. Junior Marissa Mancinelli opened the bottom of the sixth with a triple to left field, before scoring on a Bilotti double to left in the next at-bat. Bilotti would eventually score on a SAC fly from Murray to end the game.
 
ARCADIA AT THE PLATE: The top four hitters combined to go 8-14 for the Knights, led by a 3-4 outing from Bilotti and 2-3 games from both Iasiello and Murray. Resh and Murray drove in a game-high two runs, while Murray, Bilotti and Iasiello each scored twice. The Knights registered four extra-base hits, on three doubles and a triple.
 
BECKER AT THE PLATE: The Hawks' only two hits came from their top two batters, Samantha Belenchia and Megan Klemanchuck.
 
IN THE CIRCLE: Murray (3-0) tossed six innings of shutout ball, allowing just two hits while walking one and striking out 10. Samantha Lee (1-3) took the loss for Becker, allowing eight runs (five earned) on 11 hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
 
ARCADIA 8, BOWDOIN 4
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Knights jumped on the Polar Bears with six runs over the first two innings of play. The first three came on one swing of the bat, as Murray sent a 2-2 offering over the wall in left center for a three run jack with one out in the top of the first.
 
Iasiello drew a bases loaded walk with no outs in the second inning to plate freshman Kylee Schwind. A Murray SAC fly plated Bilotti in the next at bat, and advanced Cancelliere to third. With runners on first and third and one out, Iasiello and Cancelliere executed a double steal to bring home the latter, while the former advanced to third on a throwing error by the shortstop. Zangrilli, the batter during the double steal, went on to plate Iasiello with a SAC fly.
 
The Polar Bears got on the board in the bottom half of the second on a two-RBI single to right from Emily Griffin, before she bunted in Ali Miller in the fourth. Griffin would go on to score on a Jordan Gowdy single to right.
 
ARCADIA AT THE PLATE: Four different Knights registered hits, while Bilotti, Iasiello and Schwind each scored twice. Murray drove in a game-high six runs.
 
BOWDOIN AT THE PLATE: Griffin led the Polar Bears, going 2-4 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored. Allison Rutz also registered two hits and a run scored.
 
IN THE CIRCLE: Schwind (3-1) picked up the win for the Knights tossing seven innings, allowing four runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Samantha Roy (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing seven runs (six earned) on three hits with five walks and three strikeouts in two innings of work. Rutz finished the game in the circle, allowing one run on one hit with a walk and six strikeouts in five innings.