The No. 6 Central Methodist softball team completed doubleheaders sweeps of North Division foes Clarke University and Mount Mercy this past weekend. The Eagles claimed two victories over the Pride by scores of 5-1 and 10-3 on Saturday and another pair of wins over Mount Mercy, 5-2 and 3-2. 

CMU improves its overall record to 37-4 and is now 23-3 in the Heart. 

In the first game against the Pride, Central scored all five of its runs in the first inning, cruising to a four-run win in the opener. Senior outfielder Kelli Gorman led the offense batting .250 including a two-RBI double. 

Adalia Sewell and Jordan Jenkins also picked up an RBI apiece. Keighlan Cronin tossed her 17th complete game of the season, throwing all seven innings and giving up only one run on four hits and 10 strikeouts against 26 batters faced. 

Trailing 3-1 entering the top of the third of game two, the Eagles scored runs in the third, fourth, sixth, and seventh innings to earn a convincing 10-3 win. 

Gorman once again led the offense batting three-for-three with four RBI including her team-leading 12th home run of the season. Morgan Willis batted a perfect four-for-four with an RBI and three runs scored. 

Madison White also drove in three runs along with a walk. Junior pitcher Madison Love pitched game two against the Pride, giving up three earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts to earn the win. 

Against the Mustangs on Sunday, Central jumped out in front with three runs in the first four innings including a two-run home run from Gorman and an RBI single from Jordan Jenkins. After Mount Mercy scored two in the sixth to trim the lead to one, Hannah Criswell closed the door on any comeback attempt with a two-run double to deep right-center, making the final score 5-2 in favor of Central. 

Cronin tossed another complete game, pitching seven innings and allowing one earned run on seven hits en route to her 29th win of the year. 

The finale was a low-scoring affair, but the Eagles once again scored all their runs in the first inning, as Micaela Harcrow singled and Katelyn Kiser doubled to put CMU in front 3-0 early on. Mount Mercy responded with a run in the first and third, but the CMU pitching staff held them scoreless through the final four innings. 

Love made her second start of the weekend, throwing another complete game with five strikeouts against 26 batters faced. 

Central returns home to host Baker University Thursday, April 22 for a doubleheader beginning at 5:00 p.m. 

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