PITTSBURGH, Pa. - April 23, 2022 - Chatham Softball hosted Franciscan University this morning in a PAC doubleheader. After a pitching battle that resulted in a one-run ninth-inning walk-off victory for the Cougars, they would dominate game two to win 8-2 in 6.5 innings.

Senior Pitcher Emily Nay would earn herself a complete game shutout, keeping the Barons off the board with three strikeouts and perfect placement that ruined their hitting hopes. Behind Nay, junior third baseman Justine Boyle would record six 5-3 assists.

Boyle would come up big in the bottom of the ninth after Junior Kaitlyn Collins took a pitch to the arm, followed by pinch runner Lindsay Hans stealing second and advancing to third on a perfect sacrifice bunt laid down by junior Lauren Haak. Justine Boyle would hit a hard ground ball and Hans would beat out the throw home, ending the defensive battle that was game one.

Game two was Chatham's from the start, as Mackenzie Dunn and Justine Boyle would each drive in a run. The Barons would get two runs in the third off of line drives, but the Cougars were quick to regain the lead. Haak would single on a bunt, followed by an outfield single from Boyle to drive in Haak and pinch runner Olivia . Alyssa Hoffman would supply a necessary sacrifice bunt to move the runners up, and her decision was soon rewarded as Savanna Ahlborn would score Boyle.

The fourth inning saw another run, this time scored by Lauren McNany and driven in by Mackenzie Dunn. The Cougars would provide their final offensive performance in the sixth, grinding out two more runs thanks to Kaitlyn Collins, Lauren McNany, and Mackenzie Dunn.

With the pair of wins, the Cougars improve to 12-18 overall and 6-8 in conference. These games make crucial victories as the Cougars approach their final two series of the regular season against Grove City (April 27) and Westminster (April 30th).