NEW CONCORD, Ohio – The Mount Union softball team picked right back up where they left off in 2020 with a 12-5 and 8-4 sweep Muskingum in their season-opening doubleheader Saturday at Donna J. Newberry Field.

The Purple Raiders (2-0) have now won 12 games in a row as Mount Union won 10 straight games before the pandemic stopped the 2020 season in its opening week. 

In game one, Muskingum (0-2) had a 1-0 lead with a run in the first before Mount Union scored two runs in the fourth on singles from Allie Goldy and Alexis French (Rocky River / Magificat) put the Raiders up 2-1. The Muskies came right back with three in the bottom half of the fourth to retake the lead 4-2. Mount Union rallied again to retake the lead with four unanswered runs with big hits coming in a Brooklyn Hellman (Canton / Massillon Jackson) RBI triple in the fifth and an RBI double in the sixth as the Raiders led 6-4. Muskingum got one of those runs back in the sixth but any hopes of a late rally were dashed when Mount Union scored six in the seventh as French and Savannah Miner (Louisville) each had run scoring doubles, a Hellman single and two more runs scored on a pair of Muskingum errors for the 12-5 final.

Cheyanne Bosse (Montville / Berkshire) allowed just two earned runs on five hits going the distance for the win.

In game two, Mount Union jumped out early with a pair of runs in the first on an sacrifice fly from Maddie Pidgeon (Salem / West Branch) and a Maggie Dominick (Dennison / Tuscawaras Central Catholic) double. The Raiders made it 5-0 after three more runs in the third as Dominick drove in a pair and French had an RBI single. Muskingum came back with a run in the third and three in the fifth to close to within a run, 5-4. Mount Union again had a big last at-bat with a three-run seventh closed out with a two-run home run from Pidgeon for the 8-4 win.

Peyton Morrison (Salem / West Branch) struck out nine and allowed just one earned run in the complete game win.

Mount Union and Muskingum meet again for a doubleheader Sunday at 1 p.m. in New Concord.

Due to the OAC's modified 2021 softball schedule, the four games this weekend do not count in the conference standings.