WORCESTER, Mass. – Colgate rallied around an offensive outburst and dominant pitching performances to secure Saturday's doubleheader sweep at Holy Cross, knocking off the Crusaders 14-1 and 1-0 in the opening weekend of Patriot League play.
 
Colgate finished the day with 17 hits, led by three apiece from Steph Jacoby, Meaghan Houk, Jillian Herbst, and Rebecca Johnson. Jacoby recorded five RBIs as part of a 3-for-4 performance at the plate in the opening game.

Bailey Misken and Kaitlyn Borruso pitched in both games and notched wins in the circle, allowing one run in 13 innings. Borruso earned the win in Game 1 and landed the save in Game 2.

Game 1 | Colgate 14, Holy Cross 1 (6)

Three multi-run innings fueled Colgate's opening victory. The Raiders pounded 12 hits, and strong pitching from Misken and Borruso opened the three-game series in stellar fashion.  
 
Colgate was on the board in short order in the top of the first. Herbst continued her hot hitting with a leadoff single and was replaced by Taylor Ludwick on a fielder's choice. Ludwick came around to score on an RBI groundout by Jacoby to push the Raiders in front 1-0.
 
Misken was cruising early and Jacoby's second plate appearance turned out even better, this time bringing everybody home with one swing. Her three-run homer to center field scored Ludwick and Morgan Farrah to stretch Colgate's cushion to 4-0 in the top of the third.

Claire Whalen scored on a wild pitch before Quinn Livesay capped off a three-run top of the fifth with a two-run single to extend Colgate's lead to 8-1. The Raiders batted around and added six runs in the sixth to pull away for the 14-1 victory.
 
Borruso improved to 6-1 in the circle with three scoreless innings of relief. Misken allowed one run on three hits in three innings and became the 11th player in program history to reach 200 career strikeouts.

Game 2 | Colgate 1, Holy Cross 0
 
A pitchers' duel in the nightcap saw just four hits through the first four innings. Three of those hits were on Colgate's side, including two from Houk, but the Raiders couldn't cash in.
 
Misken was nearly untouchable in the early going. Bailey Chavez recorded Holy Cross' first hit in the bottom of the fourth but an inning-ending lineout stranded her at second base.
 
The Raiders scored the only run they needed in the top of the fifth when Herbst roped a two-out single to center field. Johnson singled earlier in the inning, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Herbst's single to put Colgate in front for good 1-0.
 
Misken's dominant pitching performance was backed by flashy defense. The Raiders turned three double plays in Game 2, and none were bigger than the inning-ending twin killing in the bottom of the sixth after the first two Crusaders reached base safely.
 
Borruso worked out of jams in the sixth and seventh. With the tying run and winning run on base in the last half of the seventh, Borruso finished off the shutout with back-to-back strikeouts.
 
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Marissa Lamison-Myers
 
"I was really proud of the way Bailey and Kaitlyn battled in the circle. They made big pitches when the pressure was on us. We continued to fight at the plate even when we were behind. We will see what adjustments need to be made and come out tomorrow with a good plan."
 
UP NEXT
Colgate (11-14, 2-0 Patriot) and Holy Cross (8-20, 2-3 Patriot) close out their regular season series with a single game on Sunday starting at noon. ESPN+ is carrying the livestream.