The Muhlenberg softball team advanced to the championship round of the Centennial Conference playoffs with an 8-7 extra-inning win against defending champion Swarthmore.

Needing to defeat Gettysburg twice to win their second title in three years, the Mules were defeated, 7-0, in the first game, ending their season with a record of 26-16.

The Swarthmore game was resumed where it was suspended on Friday, with Muhlenberg trailing 4-2 after two innings. The Mules wasted little time erasing the deficit, as senior Gillian Zack, the fourth batter of the resumed game, hit a two-run homer to tie the score.

The Garnet went back ahead with a solo home run in the bottom of the third, but Muhlenberg played long ball again in the fifth, with junior Kaya Mahy belting a two-run homer and Zack following with her second round-tripper to make it 7-5.

The back-to-back homers were only the third in program history. The Mules went back to back previously in 2001 and 2011, neither time in a postseason game.

Zack became just the second Muhlenberg players with more than one career multiple-homer game; she also went deep twice against Franklin & Marshall in 2022. She has 10 career home runs and is the fourth player in program history to reach double digits.

Swarthmore scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game back up.

Both teams put a runner in scoring position in the seventh, but neither scored, and the game went to extra innings. It was the first extra-inning postseason game for the Mules since the last time they played Swarthmore in the CC playoffs, in the 2022 championship game.

Muhlenberg advanced a runner to third without scoring in the eighth, and junior Justine Bergara pitched around a leadoff single in the ninth. The game went into the 10th, making it the Mules' longest postseason game since a 12-inning contest in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

In the top of the 10th, the two long-ball hitters combined for some small ball to bring in the winning run. After Mahy drew a leadoff walk, she scooted all the way around to third on Zack's sacrifice bunt. Freshman Lillie Teague, the next batter, hit a fly ball to right field, and Mahy scored easily.

Swarthmore's second batter in the bottom of the inning singled, but Bergara retired the final two hitters on fly balls to eliminate the Garnet.

Bergara set a school record for a relief pitcher by throwing 9.2 innings. She allowed only one earned run in picking up her 14th win of the season – a total topped only twice in program history.

Four players – Mahy, Zack, freshman Skyla Campisi and sophomore Scooter Hulsen – combined for eight of the Mules' nine hits.

After the emotional win that had taken two days to complete, Muhlenberg had to face a well-rested Gettysburg team. The Bullets scored two runs in each of the first two innings, and the Mules never got back in the game.

Zack doubled in the fourth for her third extra-base hit of the day. Senior Brianna Kessler singled for Muhlenberg's only other hit.

The Mules' 26 wins on the season tied for the second most in program history, topped only by the 2013 squad that set a school record for all sports with 31 victories.