The Muhlenberg softball team tuned up for Centennial Conference play with a home doubleheader sweep of King's.

The Mules (8-8), who begin defense of their 2022 CC championship at home against Franklin & Marshall on Sunday (moved from Saturday due to the weather forecast), took the opener 3-1 and completed the sweep with a 10-2 victory in the nightcap.

Junior Raya Kunes and sophomore Justine Bergara combined on a three-hitter in the first game against a King's squad that came in with a .311 team batting average. Kunes pitched the first four innings and did not allow an earned run to even her season record at 3-3. Bergara finished up by tossing three hitless innings in relief, tying the 32-year-old school record of three saves in a season. 

Muhlenberg broke up a scoreless game in the bottom of the third when junior Sophia Cicchetti singled, stole second and came in on a two-out single by junior Gillian Zack.

Another two-out single, this one by Cicchetti in the fourth, brought in the two runs that proved to be the difference in the game.

The Monarchs (8-8) scored an unearned run in the fifth, but Bergara closed out the inning by striking out the cleanup hitter with the bases loaded, then retired all six batters to face her in the sixth and seventh. 

Cicchetti, Zack, sophomore Kaitlyn Buurman and junior Sabrina Reichelt all had two hits in the opener, combining for eight of Muhlenberg's nine hits.

The Mules scored in five of their six turns at bat in the nightcap, winning by the eight-run rule in six innings.

Freshman Scooter Hulsen made a big impact in the first half of the game, tagging out a runner at the plate in the top of the first, driving in a run with an infield single in the bottom of the first, throwing out a runner attempting to steal to complete a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play in the top of the third, and breaking open the game with a three-run double in the bottom of the third.

Pictured above: Buurman slides in safely at home with the third run to score on Hulsen's two-bagger.

Trailing 5-0, King's threatened to get back in the game in the top of the fourth, loading the bases with one out, but freshman Leeanna Zagrodnik got out of the jam with a strikeout and groundout. 

Muhlenberg tacked on two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth to end the game.

The top two hitters in the order, Cicchetti and freshman Maddy Svenningsen, each went 3-for-4 in the second game. Cicchetti was 5-for-7 with a pair of stolen bases in the twinbill.

Zagrodnik struck out four in 4.2 innings to pick up her second win of the season.