LYNCHBURG, Va. - A clutch sixth inning helped Randolph College softball secure a 6-5 win over Sweet Briar in the opening game of Wednesday's doubleheader at the Randolph Softball Complex. For game two, the WildCats closed out its home doubleheader against Sweet Briar with an electric 11-9 comeback victory. The WildCats erased a three-run deficit with a four-run sixth inning and held off the Vixens late to get the sweep.

The WildCats (8-28, 7-13) got on the board in the second inning when Haili Gonzalez crushed an inside-the-park home run to right center, scoring Zoe Watson. Randolph added another run in the frame as Lexi Hawkins reached on an error that allowed Riley Shupe to cross the plate and make it 3-0.

Sweet Briar (16-22, 3-17) responded with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, the latter coming off a two-run double to tie the game 3-3. But the WildCats struck right back in the bottom of the sixth. Rylee Humble helped with an RBI single to score Lacey Lucado, and Makenzee Kenney followed with a double to bring home Addie Bowen. A groundout by Kaitlyn Wills added an insurance run, pushing the lead to 6-3.

The Vixens didn't go down quietly. In the top of the seventh, a solo home run and an RBI single to make it 6-5, but it just wasn't enough as the WildCats sealed the win.

Humble earned the win, pitching 7.0 innings and allowing eight hits and four earned runs while striking out five. She also recorded two hits and an RBI at the plate. Kenney's pinch-hit RBI double in the sixth proved to be the game-winner.

Gonzalez finished 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored, while Lucado scored once and added a stolen base. Randolph totaled six hits and capitalized on two Sweet Briar errors.

In game two, Randolph came out hot, scoring single runs in each of the first two innings. Hawkins opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first, and Gonzalez brought home Bowen with a sacrifice fly in the second to give Randolph a 2-0 lead.

Sweet Briar surged ahead in the fourth, scoring five runs on six hits to take a 5-2 advantage. But the WildCats immediately answered in the bottom half of the inning with a five-run outburst of their own. Addy Compton, Shupe, and Edie Jennings all brought in runs, and Randolph took advantage of an error and timely hitting to reclaim the lead at 7-5.

The Vixens continued the back-and-forth battle with four more runs in the fifth, highlighted by an RBI double and a two-RBI single. However, Randolph was not finished.

In the bottom of the sixth, Lucado delivered a clutch two-run double to tie the game at 9-9, and Hawkins added her second RBI single of the game to push the WildCats in front. Bowen capped the rally with a run-scoring single to make it 11-9.

Austyn Moran (4-10) went the distance for Randolph, pitching all seven innings and scattering 16 hits while striking out four to earn the win. Despite the high volume of hits, Moran held her composure in the final two innings, shutting out Sweet Briar down the stretch.

The WildCats tallied 14 hits, led by Shupe's 3-for-3 day with two runs and an RBI. Bowen, Compton, and Hawkins each added two hits and an RBI apiece, while Lucado drove in two runs and scored twice.

Randolph also played clean defense, turning a double play and committing no errors in the win.

The 'Cats close out the regular season on the road at Eastern Mennonite on Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m.