WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – A rally in the seventh inning of the opening game helped the Elon University softball team to a doubleheader split versus Monmouth on Saturday, March 18. The Phoenix took game one, 6-2, but fell short in its attempt for a sweep with a 6-4 setback in the nightcap at the MU Softball Park.
 
Elon moved to 10-16 on the year and 4-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Monmouth went to 3-14 overall on the season and improved to 3-2 in the CAA.
 
Game One: Elon 6, Monmouth 2
Elon got on the board in the top of the first. Claudia Penny drove in Drew Menscer on a two-out single to right field to plate the first run of the contest.
 
Neither team generated much offensively until the bottom of the sixth. The Hawks took advantage of a couple of Phoenix errors to take the lead, 2-1, in their home half of the sixth.
 
After retiring the first two batters in the top of the seventh, Monmouth was one out away from taking the game one win as pinch hitter Payton Swart stepped to the plate. The rookie worked a full count before drawing a walk to give the Phoenix the tying run on base. The Phoenix continued to stay alive after Megan Grant reached on a single before Menscer drove in the go-ahead runs on a two-RBI double down the left field line. Elon continued to add the runs on RBI from Allee Seering, Penny and Carley Davis leading to a five-run, two-out rally to move ahead 6-2 going into the bottom of the seventh.
 
Elon kept the Hawks at bay in the bottom of the seventh, finishing its comeback with the 6-2 game one victory.
 
The Phoenix had 10 hits in the game with Penny leading the way with a 3-of-4 performance at the plate with a pair of doubles and RBI. Grant and Bella Devesa also had multi-hit games with the middle infielders each going 2-of-4.
 
McKenna McCard (2-2) picked up the win in the circle for Elon as the sophomore pitched her first complete game of the year. The Ashburn, Ga., native allowed one earned run on seven hits with five strikeouts.
 
Game Two: Monmouth 6, Elon 4
In game two, Monmouth got off to a fast start with a four-run bottom of the second. The Hawks plated the first two runs on a bases-loaded walk and a fielder's choice before an RBI single put Monmouth ahead 3-0. The Hawks tallied the final run on a steal at home to put the Phoenix in a 4-0 deficit.
 
After a scoreless third, Elon came back within one after putting up a three-spot in the top of the fourth. Devesa hit a bloop single into shallow right center, scoring Penny who reached earlier on a single to lead off the inning. The Phoenix loaded the bases with no outs on a walk to Chloe Hatzopoulos before eventually scoring two on a fielder's choice and an error to bring the score 4-3 in favor of Monmouth.
 
Elon tied the game at four-all in the top half of the fifth. Allee Seering reached with one out on an error by the right fielder advancing all the way to third. She would cross the dish on a sac fly to center by Penny to tie the game at 4-4.
 
The Hawks retook the lead for good in its home half of the sixth. A sac fly by Mackenzie Bloss and an RBI single down the right field line plated the two go-ahead runs for Monmouth with two outs giving the Hawks to 6-4 advantage going into the final frame.
 
Elon saw its first two batters retired to start the top of the seventh, but stayed alive after Menscer reached on a single. She would advance to second as Elon had the tying run at the plate, but there would be no seventh-inning rally repeat of the first game as a foul out to first ended the threat to secure the twin bill split for the Hawks.
 
The Phoenix had seven hits in game two with Menscer (2-of-4) and Davis (2-of-3) both having a pair of hits to lead Elon offensively.
 
Isley Duggins (1-6) received the loss for Elon after tossing 4.0 innings in relief with five hits and two runs allowed. She also struck out two batters.
 
On Deck
Both teams return to the diamond for the rubber match tomorrow, March 19, with a new game time start of 1 p.m.