BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The LIU Post softball team opened East Coast Conference play with a sweep of St. Thomas Aquinas College on March 27, taking game one 8-1 and earning a 4-1 win in game two.
 
Freshman Breanna Klaiber finished 4-for-7 at the plate with three doubles, a home run and five runs batted in for the Pioneers to lead the offensive charge. Junior Julia Seader added four hits as well, driving home three behind a home run and a double, while junior Leah Mele, sophomore Abbey Fortin, and freshman Patricia Dun collected three hits apiece on the day.
 
In the circle, junior Hannah Olshevski and sophomore Katie Humhej delivered strong performances once again, going the distance in both games allowing just one earned run each. Following her first career ECC Pitcher of the Week accolade, Humhej matched her career-high in strikeouts for the second consecutive game with 10 K's against the Spartans.
 
Game One – LIU Post 8, STAC 1
 
The Pioneers had to come from behind in game one but took control after an early scare to pull away for the victory. A two-out RBI-single in the top of the first gave the Spartans the lead, 1-0. Despite stranding two on second base in the bottom of the first, Seader gave the Green and Gold the lead in the second inning with a two-run two-out double to center field.
 
Sophomore Megan Sneeden delivered an RBI-double in the fourth and Klaiber broke the game open with a two-run home run in the fifth. Klaiber capped off a three-run sixth inning with a two-out double down the left field line to help the Pioneers earn the 8-1 victory.  
 
Game Two – LIU Post 4, STAC 1
 
Despite striking out 10, Humhej was forced to work around Spartan baserunners during game two, as the sophomore stranded six runners on base during the win. The offense provided all the insurance that she needed throughout the game, as Klaiber doubled home Seader in the third inning to give LIU Post a 1-0 lead.
 
The Pioneers tacked on the rest of their scoring during the bottom of the fifth, as Seader led off the inning with a monster home run over the scoreboard in right-center field before Klaiber delivered another RBI-double to make it 3-0. Mele drove home the final run for the Green and Gold during the frame, singling to left field to score sophomore Ashley Casazza, giving the Pioneers a 4-0 advantage through five innings.
 
Humhej allowed just one run in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly in foul territory, as the Pioneers held on for the 4-1 victory and the sweep in the first meeting of the two teams.
 
LIU Post returns to non-conference action later this week when the team travels to Massachusetts to face Merrimack College on Friday, March 30 at 12:00 p.m.