CLERMONT, Fla. – The University of Minnesota Crookston softball team battled back in a pair of games to secure their first doubleheader sweep since 2017 Mon., March 18 at the Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont, Fla.
 In the first game, the Golden Eagles came back from a 3-1 deficit as Hannah Macias (Fr., OF, West Covina, Calif.) hit an RBI single that ricocheted off the pitcher to help drive in her twin sister Leah Macias (Fr., OF, West Covina, Calif.) for what would be the game-winning run. Minnesota Crookston took the game 4-3 over American International College.

In the second game, Minnesota Crookston was at a 4-1 deficit late in the game when they came back with four runs in the bottom of the fifth frame. The game-winning run would come on a Samantha Proctor (Jr., C, Champlin, Minn.) sacrifice fly to center field to score pinch-runner Tavia Lawson (So., OF, Hawley, Minn.) as the Golden Eagles won 5-4 over New York Institute of Technology.

Minnesota Crookston improves to 9-11 with the Monday sweep. American International has a 0-3 mark on the season. New York Institute of Technology is 3-6 on the 2019 season. The Golden Eagles have posted a 3-1 mark during their trip to Florida. They are currently just three games shy of tying their program record of 12 wins set during the 2017 slate.

Game One
The Golden Eagles took an early 1-0 lead but allowed three runs to cross in the third frame against American International. Minnesota Crookston would piece away at the lead tying the game up 3-3 with a double off the left field fence from Malia Pula (Jr., UT, ) as she displayed her power to plate Mika Rodriguez (Jr., 2B/SS, Laveen, Ariz.) in the sixth. In the seventh, Hannah Macias came through her game-winning RBI to drive in her twin sister Leah Macias.

Minnesota Crookston got strong pitching on the tilt. Paige Pitlick (Jr., RHP, Jordan, Minn.) got the start and earned the win to move to 3-7 on the year. Pitlick threw six innings, giving up just two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts and four walks.

Taylor Graven (So., RHP, Greene, Iowa) came on to shut down the Yellow Jackets in the seventh, as she earned her second save of the year. Graven went one inning, allowing no runs on no hits with one strikeout.
The loss for American International went to Kacie Allison, as she allowed three earned runs in seven innings with four strikeouts and a walk.

Rodriguez guided the Golden Eagles, going 2-of-4 from her lead-off post, with three runs scored. Pula was 2-of-4 with one RBI. Maggie Morales (Sr., UT, Tucson, Ariz.) finished 2-of-3 with one RBI. Darian Pancirov (Fr., RHP/1B, Las Vegas, Nev.) was 2-of-2, while Hannah Macias was 2-of-4 with the game-winning RBI.

The Yellow Jackets were led by Makaylah Mutz, who went 1-of-3 with one RBI. Lydia DePina was 1-of-4 with one run scored.

Minnesota Crookston on the scoreboard first as Morales doubled to right center to drive in Rodriguez in the top of the first to put the Golden Eagles up 1-0.

American International wouldn't get to Pitlick until the bottom of the third when she ran into some control issues. Mutz singled through the left side as she drove in DePina to knot the game up at 1-1. Bonnie Kennedy came in to score on a wild pitch to put the Yellow Jackets ahead by the tune of 2-1. Jalia Santos came in to score on another wild pitch to push the lead to 3-1.

Minnesota Crookston cut the lead to 3-2 as Leah Macias singled to left field to drive in Rodriguez in the top of the fifth.

Pula's near home run in the top of the sixth did the trick to knot the game up 3-3, driving in Rodriguez.

The Hannah Macias game-winning single in the top of the seventh was the dagger, making it 4-3.
Game Two
The Golden Eagles overcame control issues in the circle, as they battled back with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take on the NYIT Bears 5-4.

Graven got the start and went 3.2 innings with four runs allowed on 11 hits with one strikeout and one walk.

Mikayla Jones (Sr., RHP, Huxley, Iowa) came on with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth, and was outstanding in relief. She got the Golden Eagles out of trouble in her first frame, and was phenomenal the rest of the way as she moved to 2-3 with the win. Jones went 3.1 innings, allowing no runs on one hit with two strikeouts and a walk.

Morales paced Minnesota Crookston, as she went 1-of-2 with two RBIs and a run scored. Pula was 1-of-3 with two runs scored. Leah Macias went 1-of-3 with an RBI, while Hannah Macias was 1-of-2 with an RBI. Jones was 1-of-3 at the plate.

The loss went to Emily Koerick in relief, as she gave up one earned run on three hits in two innings with two strikeouts. Carissa Della Vecchia got the start and went four innings, giving up three runs on two hits with four strikeouts and five walks.

The Bears were led at the plate by Sydney Kratzert, who was 2-of-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Mary Tom was 3-of-4 with a run scored, while Mikea Lewis went 2-of-3.

The Golden Eagles scored first as Hannah Macias was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in Pula to put Minnesota Crookston up 1-0.

NYIT evened up the slate at 1-1 in the third as Lewis was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to plate Tori Fox.

A Kratzert single in the fourth brought in Tom and Kierstin Bloom to give the Bears a 3-1 lead in the fourth. The Golden Eagles struggled to get out of the fourth frame, as Lewis singled through the left side to drive in Kratzert and move the lead to 4-1.

The Golden Eagles came through offensively in the bottom of the fifth. Morales stepped up in a big spot, as the senior doubled to right center to bring home Pula and Rodriguez and cut the deficit to 4-3.

A Leah Macias double to left field later in the inning, drove in Morales to even up the tally at 4-4.

The game-winning run would cross on a Proctor sacrifice fly to drive in Lawson. Jones' outstanding pitching kept the Bears from pouncing as Minnesota Crookston won 5-4.

The Golden Eagles will have an off day Tues., March 19 before returning to play at The Spring Games Wed., March 20. Minnesota Crookston will take on Concordia University (Mich.) at 11 a.m. C.T., and University of Tampa at 3:30 p.m. C.T., at Osceola Softball Complex in Kissimmee, Fla.