CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle softball team had opportunities to claim home victories against Cal U on Tuesday, but the Vulcans edged past Clarion in both instances in sweeping a doubleheader at Memorial Stadium. Cal U won the first game 11-10, and the second 9-7.
 
Clarion (3-9, 1-7 PSAC West) built leads against the Vulcans in both contests, rallying from a 5-1 deficit in the first game to take the lead and building a quick 6-0 advantage after three innings in the second. In both instances, though, Cal U rallied from deficits in the seventh inning to take the advantage, and then held the Golden Eagles off in their final attempts at the plate. The Golden Eagle offense got back on track after a rough road weekend against the Vulcans, scoring 17 runs in the doubleheader. Clarion has now scored seven or more runs in seven of their last nine games, including five out of their six home games.
 
The Golden Eagles showed great spirit in rallying from an early deficit in game one, as it appeared the Vulcans were set to repeat their strong showing from the previous Saturday's doubleheader. Cal U led 5-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning but Clarion responded with a six-run outburst, shaking up both the starting pitcher Ellie Lobdell and reliever Kaitlyn Leary. Chelsea Liroff and Beka McClymonds added RBI hits – the latter a double to the wall in left-center – to cut the lead to 5-3. Brooke Cline drew a bases-loaded walk to make it just a one-run game, and McClymonds eventually tied the game when Makenzie Wolfe reached on an error.
 
The big hit came in the form of Jessica Cartia, who smoked a double to the gap to score Cline and Carissa Giordano, making it 7-5 in the bottom of the fourth. McClymonds scored another run off an error in the fifth inning, and Wolfe bombed a double to dead center to give Clarion an 9-6 advantage heading into the sixth inning. Cal U clawed away in the next two innings, taking an 11-9 lead on Rebecca Kelley (1-3) on a two-run single by Alyssa Young and a sac fly by Meghan Miller. Cline scored Hannah Norton in the bottom of the seventh to cut it to 11-10, but Wolfe's sharp two-out liner to the right side of the infield was gloved at second base to end the threat and the game.
 
The Clarion offense started the second game on fire, with Kelley scoring Cline and Giordano on a double to left center in the bottom of the first inning. Norton brought Kelley around with a single to right field to make it 3-0. The Golden Eagles chipped in another three runs in the third inning, starting with a bunt single by Aryn Boyer that scored Norton after catcher Brooke Wilson's throw to second base sailed into the outfield. Molly Cowden smacked an RBI single to score Rachel Helsley, and Giordano brought Boyer home with a squeeze bunt to make it 6-0.
 
Cal U responded with four runs off starter Zoe Ott in the bottom of the fourth inning, but Megan Anderson (0-3) escaped the jam with the lead intact. Cartia added an RBI double in the home half of the inning to score McClymonds and up the lead to 7-4, but the Vulcans scored five unanswered runs over the fifth and seventh innings to take a 9-7 lead. Lobdell, who entered in relief earlier in the game, retired the Golden Eagles in order in the seventh for the win.