Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Colgate Softball snapped a five-game skid after besting Brown for the first time since the 2019 season and Loyola Marymount for the first time in program history on Sunday afternoon in the Golden State. The Raiders tamed the Bears 7-1 and the Lions 3-1 to secure the sweep.
 
Home runs carried the Raiders today as 6-of-10 runs scored came from bombs. Junior Kara Fusco slammed a two-RBI homer in both games, and sophomore Quinn Livesay recorded a two-run dinger against Brown. 
 
GAME 1 | Colgate 7, Brown 1
 
The Raider bats started to get hot in the top of the third as freshman Cate Murray smacked a triple to right center. Rachel Carney walked then stole second on the next at-bats for Colgate. Jillian Herbst hit a sac-fly to bring Murray home and break the scoring drought in the game. Carney would be left on second after two quick outs closed the inning. 
 
Sophomore Mia Edwards and the defense kept the lead at one in the bottom of the third after the Bears went down in order, including a strikeout to open the inning.
 
The first home run of the day came in the top of the fifth after Fusco homered to left field, which brought home Herbst, who reached base on a throwing error in the previous at-bat to bump the lead to 3-0.
 
Brown tried to make some noise in the bottom of the inning with a single to right field with two out on the board, but a pop-up to Fusco shut down the Bears' offense to close the fifth.
 
The final runs of the game came from both innings in the sixth. Senior Ludwick opened the top of the sixth with a double to left center. Livesay followed the double with the Raiders' second home run of the game, which extended the lead to 5-0. Colgate's offense wasn't finished as Elizabeth Nitka walked, stole second, and eventually advanced to third after a fielding error. Senior Adrienne Nardone singled to left field to score two extra security runs as Nitka and Carney crossed home plate to bump the lead to seven.
 
The Bears stifled the shutout in the bottom of the inning after scoring a home run to cut the lead to 7-1 to close out the sixth. Luckily for the Raiders, freshman Alexa Acker and the defense got the final three outs of the game in the bottom of the seventh, leaving a Bear on base to end the game. 
 
NOTES

• Ludwick went 2-for-4 at the plate, including a run.
•  Edwards and Acker combined for one run off five hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.

GAME 2 | Colgate 3, Loyola Marymount 1
 
Just like in game one, both offenses were quiet till the middle innings of the game. Senior Bailey Misken dished out five strikes leaving two stranded in the bottom three innings of play.
 
The Raiders broke the empty tie in the top of the fourth as Carney opened the inning with a double to right field. A sac-bunt from Herbst advanced the senior to scoring position before Fusco slammed her second homer of the day to left field to bring herself and Carney across home plate to give Colgate a two-run lead. 
 
Livesay scored the final Raider run of the day off a wild pitch to lengthen the lead to 3-0. Loyola Marymount broke the shutout in the bottom of the fifth with their own homer to cut the lead to 3-1. Misken secured the two-run lead with two strikeouts to get Colgate out of the inning. 
 
The bottom of the sixth inning tested the Raider defense as a walk, then a hit batter put runners on the bases for the Lions. A fielding error brought Loyola even closer to home plate as a runner was in scoring position, but a grounded-out double play from Herbst to Fusco closed out the inning with two runners stranded before any damage could be done. 
 
The Raider bats couldn't produce any extra offense in the top of the final inning, but the defense did their part with three straight groundouts to close the game.
 
NOTES

• Misken is now 5-4 on the season after pitching her seventh complete game of the season.
• Carney went 1-for-3 at the plate with one hit.
• Fusco ends the day with four RBI, two hits, and two home runs.

FROM THE SOURCE
Head Softball Coach Marissa Lamison-Myers

"I am proud of our group today. Tough start by getting rained out, but we were able to stay focused. Kara was seeing the ball well and boosted our offense today. Bailey was great on the mound. She worked herself out of a couple of jams which was huge."

UP NEXT
Colgate (8-12) continues its 12-game road trip in California, traveling to CSUN on Tuesday for a midweek doubleheader. The pair of games against the Matadors is slated for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (ET).