PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – With a walk-off single from Sophie Valle in game two of Saturday's doubleheader, No. 22 Pace Softball earned the sweep over Southern Connecticut State University. Both games presented close match-ups for the Setters as game one ended with a 3-1 win while game two went eight innings, concluding with a 2-1 victory.

With another two wins in the books, the Blue and Gold boast one of the longest win streaks in NCAA Division II at 26 games, holding a 32-8 overall record, and an undefeated 16-0 record within the Northeast-10 (NE10) Conference.

Game One

• Opening the day, the Setters wasted no time at the dish, plating a run in the bottom of the first. Willa Poplawski kick-started Pace's afternoon by driving an RBI single to right center for a 1-0 advantage.
• A duel in the circle ensued in the next four innings as Gisselle Garcia commanded the opposition with her dynamic pitching. With strong outings from both pitchers, a 1-0 score remained through the top of the fifth.
• In the inning, the Setters utilized back-to-back bunts to put a runner on second base with one out. The next batter, Riley Jenkins, seared a line drive to left field to put the Blue and Gold ahead by two runs, 2-0. Two batters later, Raelle Gorman delivered once again, finding the gap in right center to drive home the third run of the day.
• In the top of the sixth, the Owls snuck a ball over the fence to put a run on the board, but Garcia remained unfazed through the rest of her outing as the Setters sealed their 25^th consecutive win, 3-1.

Game Two

• In the second contest of the twin-bill, the Setters and Owls were neck-and-neck as seven innings were not enough to decide a winner. Following a Madison Picerno RBI single, the Setters held a 1-0 lead until a wild pitch in the fifth evened up the score at one run apiece.
• The 1-1 tie stayed on the board through the bottom of the seventh inning as free softball took place in Pleasantville, N.Y. In the top half of the first extra inning, SCSU threatened Pace's lead with two straight singles. However, Garcia fanned the Owls' final batter to keep the score tied heading into the bottom of the eighth.
• Jump-starting Pace's game-winning run, Kaylee Matsuda recorded her 100^th career base-knock, which could not come at a better time. After the lead-off single, Alex Borino moved the runner over to second with a clutch sacrifice bunt.
• With a base runner on second and one out, Sophie Valle stepped up to bat with the game in her hands. The Chino, CA. native came through as she bounced a single up the middle to bring home Matsuda, earning the walk-off 2-1 win for Pace, marking their 26^th in a row.

Box Score Insights

• Matsuda played a key role in the game-winning run for the second contest, as her 100th career hit came in the bottom of the eighth, which eventually led to the game-clinching RBI.
• Valle's walkout base-knock guided Pace to the sweep as she went 2-for-4 with one RBI during the winning effort. Picerno also stayed hot at the plate, posting three hits in the doubleheader with one RBI.
• The trio of Jenkins (3-for-6, 1 RBI), Poplawski (2-for-6, 1 RBI), and Borino (2-for-6, 1 run) all supplied multi-hit days.
• In the circle, Garcia totaled two wins in the doubleheader, with 16 strikeouts, throughout 10.0 innings pitched. She allowed one lone run on the day and only two hits in what was another spectacular performance.

Up Next (Molloy University)
Riding a 26-game winning streak into the final week of the regular season, No. 22 Pace softball meets with Molloy University for a road doubleheader at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.