(Sugar Grove, IL.) - Waubonsee Community College swept a doubleheader from Sauk Valley Community College on Monday afternoon behind the pitching and hitting of Morgan Smardo, Emily Hurst and Alyssa Perkins. The Chiefs (5-10) took the first game 8-2 to snap their eight-game losing streak and then completed the sweep with an 11-3 victory in five innings. On the day the trio combined for 13 hits, including three doubles and two home runs, drove in 11 runs and scored 10 times.
In the opener the Skyhawks struck first as Ana-Kate Phillips drilled the third pitch of the game over the left field fence for a leadoff home run. It would turn out to be the only time the visitors led in the contest as Waubonsee quickly responded with two runs in the bottom of the first. Smardo smacked the second pitch she saw over the center field fence for a leadoff homer to tie the game. Two batters later Hurst then deposited the second pitch she saw over the left field fence for her fourth home run of the season to give the Chiefs a 2-1 lead. Sauk Valley's McKenzie Hecht tied the game with a solo homer to right field in the third, but that's all the Skyhawks would get. Smardo surrendered just two singles and walked two batters the rest of the way while striking out eight to pick up the win in the circle. Waubonsee scored three runs in the fourth and two more in the sixth to put the game away. Jenna Borgstrom drove in a run with a double to right field and Smardo plated two more with a line drive single to center in the three-run fourth. Singles by Smardo and Katie Baker were followed by an run scoring single to center by Hurst and a sacrifice fly to left by Perkins to give the Chiefs their seventh and eighth runs in the sixth inning.
Waubonsee jumped in front early in the second game and coasted to victory with the top six hitters in the lineup all booking two of more hits. In the bottom of the first Smardo doubled and Baker singled before Hurst drove both of them in with a single to left field for a quick 2-0 lead. Sauk Valley got a run back in the second inning and threatened in the third before Chiefs' starter Julia Hupp stranded a pair of Skyhawk runners. Waubonsee added two more runs in the bottom of the third when Morgan Iwanski slapped a single to center to drive in Hurst. Two batters later Dyani Rivera reached base on an infield hit with Perkins scoring on the play to make it 4-1. The Chiefs then broke the game open in the fourth by scoring four times. Perkins singled through the left side of the infield to knock in Baker and Iwanski follwed with a run-scoring double for a 6-1 Chiefs' lead. Valerie Osthoff then stepped to the plate and capped off the inning by launching a two-run homer to straight away center to the delight of her delirious teammates. Sauk Valley pushed across a pair of runs in the fifth inning before Waubonsee answered back in their half of the frame. The Chiefs scored a run on a Skyhawks error and then Perkins delivered the final blow scorching a line shot double to center to drive in Baker and Hurst to activate the eight-run after five innings slaughter rule.
The Chiefs are in action again on Wednesday, April 10 when they travel to highly touted Kankakee Community College for a non-conference doubleheader. Waubonsee is also set to make a trek north of the border to play the Madison College Wolfpack in Wisconsin on Saturday, April 13 before returning home on Sunday, April 14 to host Triton College in a twin bill. The first pitch between the Chiefs and Trojans is set for noon.