COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Morgan Comfort paired her arm with her bat and combined with Kaitlyn Willis to form an untouchable tandem as the Ursinus College softball team notched its first sweep of the season in style on Tuesday afternoon, blanking Alvernia by scores of 3-0 and 4-0 on Snell Field.
Comfort and Willis threw matching three-hitters to perplex a Golden Wolves squad that came in 14-1-1 against non-conference opponents and was hitting well over .300 as a team. Comfort added a two-run single to support her own cause in the opener and help Ursinus end an eight-game skid, and junior Callie Crouse backed Willis with her third homer of the season in the finale.
Junior Faith Carson hit a two-run single in a three-run first in the nightcap for the Bears (13-19), who allowed just two runners to reach third base all afternoon.
Game 1: Ursinus 3, Alvernia 0
The Bears wasted no time snapping out of a 20-inning scoreless drought, but not without some anxious moments. After loading the bases with no outs, Alvernia got the next two outs and had Comfort down 0-2. But the freshman helped her own cause in a big way, working the count to 2-2 and fisting a single just out of the second basewoman's reach and into the center-field grass to plate a pair as freshman Michela Coleman slid just around the tag for an early 2-0 lead.
Ursinus saw several prime scoring chances fall by the wayside until the fifth, when sophomore Renee LeClerc dropped a two-out RBI single into shallow left to score junior Faith Carson for a 3-0 lead, although the Golden Wolves threw out the trailing runner at the plate on the play to keep the deficit there.
With Comfort dealing, her clutch first-inning knock was all the offense she required. After a leadoff single in the first, the freshman allowed just one hit until the sixth. Morgan Psiuk opened that frame with a base hit to center and took second on a sacrifice bunt, but Carson ran into to snare a sinking liner off the bat of Riley Shields for the second out and threw to freshman Christina Wentz at second to double off the runner and end the inning.
Comfort made things interesting for herself in the seventh, walking the leadoff batter and hitting another to bring the tying run to the plate with one out. She struck out the next Golden Wolves hitter for the second out, but walked the next one to load the bases. Comfort then bore down and induced a bouncer back to the mound, throwing on to first to nail down her second career shutout.
Morgan Psiuk went 2-for-3 at the top of the Alvernia lineup, but Comfort allowed only one other hit in her fifth complete game of the season. She walked three and struck out two.
Comfort was the star at the plate as well, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBI against Shields, who came in with a 1.19 ERA.
Game 2: Ursinus 4, Alvernia 0
Willis picked up right where Comfort left off, freezing the first two batters on looking strikeouts in the top of the first. And just like in the opener, the Bears' offense gave its pitcher immediate support.
Junior Gabrielle Manto led off with a sharp single to shortstop and Coleman legged out a bunt single. After a pop-up and a wild pitch, Carson laced a two-run single to the gap in right-center. Alvernia's starter recorded another out before walking the next two batters and being lifted for a reliever. Freshman Alyssa Myers drew a third consecutive walk to force in a third run.
Crouse lifted a fly ball over the fence in left for her third homer of the season and the fifth of her career.
Alvernia put runners on first and second with one out in the seventh, but back-to-back groundouts gave Willis her 51st career complete game.
Willis struck out six, including four of the first five hitters, and walked two.
Coleman went 2-for-4 with a pair of bunt singles for the Bears.
Up Next
The Bears head to No. 6 Moravian for a non-conference twin bill on Thursday.