GREENVILLE, PA. (April 17, 2010) – The Thiel College softball team swept the Presidents of Washington and Jefferson College on Saturday by scores of, 7-4 in game one, and 11-2 in game two.

The sweep boosts the Tomcats overall record to 14-12 and puts them at 6-4 in the conference.

In game one, the women of Thiel College got off to a fast start, on the strength of a two-run single to left field by junior catcher, Melissa Rankin (Scenery Hill, Pa./Bentworth).  In the very next at bat, senior first base, Elise Moore (Apollo, PA/Kiski), would trade places with Rankin, hitting a RBI double to left center.

The Presidents wouldn't go down easily, however, rallying back in the top of third with a four run, three hit inning, to put them up, 4-3, on the Tomcats.   In the bottom of the inning Thiel answered back with Stephanie Smith (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) scoring on a wild pitch, and Moore knocking in Rankin again, giving the Tomcats the lead and, after adding two more runs in the fifth, the game.

Emily Batiz (Leechburg, Pa./Leechburg Area) picked up the victory, going six innings while allowing three earned runs on four hits.

Moore led the Tomcats offensively, going 2-for-3 with a double, while knocking in three runs and scoring one of her own.  Rankin also had a big day, tallying two hits, a pair of RBIs and a pair of scored runs, while Smith went 2-for-3 with three runs scored.

Game two saw sophomore pitcher, Kristen Moreland (Dover, Ohio/Dover), gain her third victory of the week.  The Dover, Ohio native went seven complete innings, striking out four batters, while allowing just one earned run on six hits. 

Moreland stretched her streak of innings pitched without an earned run to 19 before giving one up in the bottom of the sixth inning.

With Moreland contributing another quality outing, the Tomcat offense started clicking on all cylinders in game two, scoring 11 runs on 17 hits. 

Becky Betteridge (Conneaut, Ohio/Conneaut) was the leader of the 'Cat charge, finishing the day 3-for-5 with triple and four runs scored.  Rankin picked up where she left off in the game one, going 3-for-4 with a double, to go along with two RBIs and two scored runs, while Karen Wolfe (Troy, Pa./Troy), Laura Davin (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park), Smith and Moore all tallied a pair of hits apiece.  Ashley McLimans (Orchard Park, NY/Hamburg) contributed two RBI's to the victory.

The 'Cat brigade returns to action Thursday, April 22 when they head down to Latrobe, Pa. to face the Saint Vincent College Bearcats for a 3 p.m. doubleheader.