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HAMILTON, N.Y. (5/7/2010) –   Reanna Johnson's two-run double in the bottom of the sixth highlighted a five-run inning as Army rallied to down Colgate 5-1 in the second game of a Patriot League softball doubleheader at Eaton Street Field, Friday afternoon to complete a sweep.  The Black Knights prevailed in the opener 7-3.

With the wins, Army will serve as the top seed and host school of the 2010 Patriot League Tournament, which begins Thursday in West Point.  The Black Knights, who improved to 32-18 overall and 15-5 in league play, needed to sweep Colgate, or the tournament would have been hosted by Lehigh.  It will mark only the fourth time in the tournament's history the event won't be held in Bethlehem, Pa.  Army will open the tournament by playing fourth seeded Colgate in the first round.  Game time will be announced in the next few days.

The Raiders, who concluded their regular-season with a 25-21 mark and 8-12 in league play, scored first in the second inning as Jennifer Ortega (Aberdeen, N.J.) belted her eighth homer of the year.  On a two-two offering from starter Beverly Nordin, the sophomore unloaded to left field to give Colgate its last lead.  Raider starter Courtney O'Connell (Palm Harbor, Fla.) was cruising through the Black Knight lineup for the first five innings – allowing only three hits at the time.

With one out in the sixth, Erin McClain triggered the five-run, six-hit inning with a single to left.  After a double by Alexis AuBuchon and a hit by pitch, Johnson doubled to left to give the Black Knights the lead for good.  Army tacked on three more scores on wild pitch, a ground out and a single.

Nordin went the distance surrendering six hits and allowed one earned run to even her record to 7-7 overall.  O'Connell gave up nine hits and five earned runs in six innings and suffered her first defeat in four starts to fall to 8-6.

In the opener, Stephanie Hartquist (Homer, N.Y.) posted three hits while Alana Dyson (Grovetown, Ga.) tallied a pair in the loss.

The Raiders opened by scoring once in the top of the first as Dyson scored on a sacrifice fly by Nicole Siedhof (Canton, Pa.).  After the Black Knights grabbed a 2-1 lead after two, Colgate evened the game in the top of the third as Emmie Dolfi (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.) delivered a double down the left field line to score Hartquist from second.  However, Army answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 4-2 advantage.  

Colgate cut the deficit in half with one in the fifth inning on a bases loaded walk by Natalie Siedhof (Canton, Pa.).  Once again, the Black Knights answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run homer by Johnson.

Shawna Bleyl scattered eight hits and allowed three earned runs in seven innings of work to improve to 14-4 overall.  Jesse McCarrick (Oak, Hill, Va.) suffered the loss in relief and fell to 7-3.  The senior gave up 11 hits in five innings of work.

In the doubleheader, Dyson scored two runs and broke the single-season freshman record.  The rookie now has 39 runs, which bested Melissa Rawson's former mark of 37 set back in 2000.  Dyson's pursuit for Rawson's freshman record for hits will continue at the Patriot League Tournament.  She has 56 hits on the season and needs to post one more to tie the record and two to break it.