Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
The Malone University softball team, sparked by a pair of grand slams, captured their first two GLIAC wins in program history with wins over Lake Erie on Monday afternoon, 8-2 and 10-1.

Game one was a pitcher's duel until freshman Amy Donze broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning with a grand slam to left center. Junior Katy Carr ignited the rally when she reached base and advanced to second on a throwing error by the Lake Erie third baseman. Freshmen Alexa Holztrager and Emily Isla followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases and set the stage for Donze's heroics.

The Storm answered with a solo home run in the top of the fifth before conceding three more runs to Malone in the bottom half of the inning. Senior Shelby Snyder got things started with a single to right field. With one out and a runner on third, Carr rolled one back to the pitcher but an errant throw allowed her to reach base and bring home a run to make the score 5-1. Holztrager followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position. After Carr was picked off of third base, Isla lifted a single to left to bring home Holztrager. Isla would end the scoring in the inning when she came home on a passed ball to stake the Pioneers to a 7-1 lead.

Snyder would add an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to put Malone up 8-1. Lake Erie would score an unearned run in the last inning before falling 8-2.

In addition to going 2-for-2 at the dish, Snyder picked up the win in the circle to move to 4-9 on the season. She tossed seven innings of five hit ball, giving up two runs (one earned) while fanning eight Storm hitters.

Holztrager, Snyder, Isla and sophomore Stephanie Byrne each collected two hits for the game.

Game 2 was another tightly contested affair, until like game 1, the Pioneers blew it open in the game's final stages.

Lake Erie took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning Kyleah Burton-Smiles laced a two out single to left field.

Malone captured their first lead in the top of the fourth when Byrne smoked a line drive off of the shortstop and in to centerfield to score two runs.

The score would remain 2-1 into the sixth inning when Malone's offense exploded for eight runs. Donze continued her hot day at the plate by scorching a one out double to the right-centerfield gap to score Holztrager and give the Pioneers a 3-1 lead. Malone would then load the bases for freshman Heather Papp who delivered in the clutch with a long drive to right center to score two. An error on a Snyder bunt and a walk to freshman Lisa Cordova brought home another run. Then, with the score 6-1 and the bases full of Pioneers, Holztrager belted a towering drive to center for the second Malone grand slam of the day and her third home run of the season.

Donze (2-9) was dominant in the circle yielding just five hits and one earned run in six innings while setting a new career-high with 12 strikeouts.

Malone next heads to Michigan for a doubleheader with Hillsdale College on Wednesday, April 17th.