MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Hilbert Softball capped its spring‑break trip with a sweep of Keystone on Thursday morning, earning a 9–1 run‑rule victory in Game One before pouring on 16 more runs in Game Two to complete the doubleheader sweep. The Hawks paired consistent hitting with steady pitching from Kimberly Bentley Stephanie Mirras, and Alana Yadov across both contests.
 
Game One: Hilbert 9 – Keystone 1 (5 innings)
After a scoreless first inning for both teams, Hilbert gained control of the matchup with a four‑run second. Grace Schwarzkopf and Lillian Burkley opened the frame with back‑to‑back singles before Sadie Plotkin lifted a sacrifice fly to put the Hawks ahead. Kaitlin Stolowski followed with an RBI double, and Madison Esmond and Emma Gionta each added run‑scoring hits to push the lead to 4–0.

Hilbert added three more runs in the fourth as Esmond reached, Gionta delivered her third hit of the game, and Jazlynn Soliz lined a run‑scoring double. The Hawks closed the scoring in the fifth when Schwarzkopf singled, Stolowski added another RBI on a sacrifice fly, and Ava Higgins doubled home a run.

Bentley controlled the game from start to finish, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out three in the complete‑game victory. Offensively, Gionta finished 3‑for‑3 with three RBI, Schwarzkopf added two hits and two runs, and Esmond and Stolowski each contributed multi‑hit efforts as the Hawks totaled 12 hits.

Game Two: Hilbert 16 – Keystone 7
Hilbert carried its momentum directly into Game Two, striking early as Madison Esmond scored on a Jazlynn Soliz RBI groundout to open the scoring. The Hawks then erupted for four runs in the third, capitalizing on a pair of passed balls, an RBI single from Soliz, and an infield error that extended the inning. Shelby Schimek and Schwarzkopf each added base hits in the rally.

Keystone countered with a six‑run third to briefly take the lead, but Hilbert responded with its largest inning of the day, a nine-run fifth. The Hawks strung together eight hits in the frame, highlighted by RBI swings from Miyah Lopez, Stolowski, Esmond, Gionta, Soliz, and a two‑run double from Schimek. Schwarzkopf later added a run‑scoring single as Hilbert surged ahead 14–6.

Hilbert plated two more runs in the seventh behind additional RBI from Vanessa Koenig and Lillian Burkley. Yadov then closed the door by striking out two hitters in the bottom half to secure the sweep.

Schimek led the Hawks with a four‑hit performance, driving in two and scoring four times. Soliz added a three‑hit, three‑RBI game, while Esmond, Schwarzkopf, and Gionta all turned in multi‑hit efforts as Hilbert matched its season high with 17 hits. Bentley earned her second win of the day in relief before Yadov tossed 2.2 shutout innings with five strikeouts.

UP NEXT:
The Hawks are back in action following spring break as the team heads to Houghton to take on the Highlanders on Tuesday, March 17th.