Game #1 Box Score I Game #2 Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS - Senior Alicia Hayes belted four of IUPUI's six homers as the Jaguars outmuscled Southern Utah in a softball doubleheader sweep on Friday night at the on-campus IUPUI Softball Complex. The Jaguars won game one 4-1 and outclawed the Thunderbirds by a 5-4 score in eight innings in the nightcap. 

Hayes, who entered the day with seven career homers, hit two in both games of the doubleheader, twice tying the IUPUI single-game record. Meanwhile in the opener, sophomore pitcher Samantha Bumbaugh finished just one out shy of her first career shutout, but still collected the complete game victory. 

Hayes opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when she arced a fly ball over the centerfield fence off SUU (8-29, 4-10 Summit) starter Kristina Brooks, making it 1-0. She then doubled the lead in the third when she led off with a towering shot to left-center, making it 2-0. 

In the sixth, power came from an unexpected source as freshman Sydney Miller blasted her first career homerun, plating pinch-runner Keshia Head in front of her. The homer was the first of Miller's career and was the first pinch-hit homer by a Jaguar this season. 

Bumbaugh (2-12) was nothing short of dominant, including retiring 11 out of 12 batters during one stretch. The only blemish against her performance came with two outs in the seventh when Darleen Fernandez drilled a solo homer to center, ending her shutout bid. She responded by getting Ariel Morbeck to fly out to right to end the game.

Bumbaugh yielded just three hits and struck out seven while recording her fourth complete game of the season. Hayes and Hale both went 2-for-3 offensively to account for four of the Jags' six hits. 

In game two, senior Laura Wilcox blasted the first pitch of the bottom of the eighth over the centerfield fence as the Jaguars claimed the sweep with a 5-4 come-from-behind win. 

Hayes made it 2-0 in the bottom of the first as she followed Kelsey Rupert's leadoff walk with a line drive two-run shot over the fence in left-center. She later broke a 2-2 tie when she led off the third inning by depositing an opposite field homer to right on a changeup from SUU starter Kara Bendt. 

Southern Utah proceeded to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth on RBI singles by Brittany Henderson and Makinna Meeks, but IUPUI promptly answered back. In the bottom half, Leah Prewitt led off with a walk and moved to second on an errant pickoff throw. After a fly out, Hale put runners on first and second with an infield hit and Miller loaded the bases with a bullet to the fence in center. Freshman Alicia Garrison plated the game-tying run with a sacrifice fly to left as Prewitt slid in just ahead of the throw to the plate. 

The game remained tied until Wilcox blasted her eighth homer of the year to begin the home half of the eighth. 

Hayes went 3-for-4 with three RBI and Miller was 2-for-3 in the win. Bumbaugh took the ball into the fifth before giving way to rookie left-hander Nicole Natter. Natter (3-9) got the victory, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings and striking out four. 

Bendt struck out five and walked five in the no decision and Brooks (2-8) was saddled with the loss out of the bullpen. 

It was IUPUI's first doubleheader sweep since taking two from Oakland in Rochester on May 2, 2008.

The same two teams will wrap up the three-game series on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for noon from the IUPUI Softball Complex. Admission is free and open to the public.