GRANTHAM, Pa. -- Kylee Scwhind tossed her fifth shutout of the season, Hunter Schantz went 3 for 3, including a mammoth two-run home run, and the top-seeded Arcadia softball team defeated Widener, 7-0, on the first day of the MAC Commonwealth Championships on Friday afternoon.
 
With the win, the Knights improved to 29-12 on the year and remain in the tournament's winner's bracket. Arcadia will now take on Albright on Saturday at 11 a.m. Widener falls to 25-12 and will take on the winner of Alvernia and Lebanon Valley in Saturday's second game at 1 p.m.
 
Schwind didn't allow a runner past second base and yielded just three hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 7.0 innings to improve to 12-7 on the year. She has now posted a shutout in the circle in four of her last five starts.
 
Schantz provided plenty of offense in support of Schwind. The junior first baseman homered and doubled while driving in two runs and scoring twice. Jackie Bilotti was 2 for 2 with three runs scored. Kristin Cancelliere finished 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Alexa Vardiman drove in a pair.
 
The Knights got on the board in the first when Cancelliere and Alex DeStefano led off with back-to-back singles. Bilotti laid down a sacrifice bunt, but the Pride turned it into an error, allowing Bilotti to reach safely and Cancelliere to score. Schantz followed with a towering shot to left that pushed AU in front 3-0.
 
An RBI double by Morgan Marchesani in the second made it 4-0, and Alexis Burge pushed the lead to 5-0 with a sacrifice fly in third that plated Bilotti.  In the fifth inning, Bilotti led off with a single and moved to second on Schantz's single to left. Bilotti moved third on a fly out, and Schantz moved up on a groundout giving the Knights runners on second and third with two outs. Vardiman followed with a two-run single back up the middle to conclude the scoring.