NEWARK, DE -- The Blue Hen softball team rallied from three runs down in the opener and pounded out 17 hits in the nightcap as Delaware swept a Colonial Athletic Association doubleheader from Drexel, 5-4 and 8-0 in five innings, Saturday afternoon at Delaware Field.

The Dragons, who entered the day leading the league but dropped to 18-11 overall and 5-3 in the conference, struck first in the opener by scoring two runs in the top of the second inning. With one out Molly Dacey doubled to leftfield and Sandi Wambold followed with a two-run homer to left, her fifth home run of the season.

However the Blue Hens, who improved to 16-13 overall and 3-5 in the CAA, answered with a run in the bottom of the third. With one out a walk to Katie Lee (at right), a double down the leftfield line by Quinn Megargel, and a walk to Allison Borchers loaded the bases, and Lee scored when Michelle Grap grounded out to first base.

Drexel quickly answered in the top of the fourth, as Blue Hen starting pitcher Anne Marie Pagano walked Ashley Botelho, Dacey and Wambold to load the bases with nobody out. Carla Waldron then hit a groundball to Blue Hen shortstop Lindsay Novak, but Novak’s throw to the plate was high and allowed two Dragons to score. Drexel again loaded the bases after a walk to Kristen Beaver, but Pagano got out of the inning without further damage to keep it a 4-1 game.

Delaware got a run back in the bottom of the fourth when Caitlin Smith singled with one out, moved to second on a groundout by Novak, and scored when Katie DeSalvo doubled to leftcenter. The Blue Hens then took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Lee led off the frame by doubling to left, and after she stole third, Megargel walked to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Amanda Shattuck then relieved Katrina Gaudier in the circle for Drexel, and when Megargel stole second, the throw by Botelho from behind the plate went into centerfield to allow Lee to score. Allison Borchers then singled to right to plate Megargel with the tying run, and after Michelle Grap walked, Shattuck was replaced in the circle by Breanna Gomez. Cecile Egan then hit a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third, and after Michelle Kenney walked, Smith followed with a sacrifice fly to right to drive home Borchers with the go-ahead run.

Blue Hen relief pitcher Samantha Shawn then threw a scoreless sixth inning, but she hit Gaudier with a pitch to lead off the seventh. Pinch runner Rachel Campbell then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Amanda Hastings and went to third on a groundout by Botelho, but Shawn struck out Dacey looking on a 3-2 pitch to end the game.

Pagano improved to 9-4 after allowing four runs, three earned, on three hits in the first five innings, while Shawn picked up her second save of the season after giving up one hit in two innings of scoreless relief. Shattuck fell to 1-1 on the year for the Dragons. Lee finished 2 for 3 with two runs scored, a double and a walk for Delaware, while Smith went 2 for 2 with a run scored and an RBI.

Jessica Kozlowski put the Blue Hens ahead in the second game, as she led off the bottom of the second inning by drilling a home run over the leftfield fence for her first career homer. UD added a second run in the frame when DeSalvo stroked a two-out single to right, advanced to second on a single by Lee, and scored on a single into left by Megargel.

In the third Kozlowski singled with one out, went to second on a Smith single, and scored when Novak doubled to left as Delaware took a three-run lead. After Lee opened the fourth with an infield single, she came around to score when Megargel beat out a bunt single and the throw by Dragons third baseman Kelly Downes went down the rightfield line. One out later Grap singled home Megargel to give Delaware a 5-0 advantage.

In the fifth singles by DeSalvo and Lee and a walk to Megargel loaded the bases with nobody out, and Borchers followed with a single to drive home DeSalvo. One out later Egan beat out an infield single, and Kozlowski followed with a bases loaded walk to end the game due to the eight-run mercy rule.

Shawn allowed just five hits as she fired her third shutout of the season to improve to 7-8 on the year. Gomez started for Drexel and fell to 3-6 after she gave up two earned runs on five hits in 1.2 innings of work. Lee and Megargel each had three hits and scored two runs to pace the Blue Hen attack, while DeSalvo, Borchers, Egan and Kozlowski each added two hits.

Delaware and Drexel conclude their three-game series with a single game Sunday beginning at 12 noon.

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