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ALLIANCE, Ohio –  The Capital University softball team split with the No. 15 University of Mount Union Purple Raiders on Saturday afternoon. The Crusaders' win came via a 5-0 shutout in game one, before Mount Union took game two by a final of 8-6. 

The Purple Raiders (24-6) who entered with a record of 23-5 had not lost in their last six games prior to the game one shutout. 

Capital's game one win pushed their record to 10-16 on the season.

Lexi Leggett had a clutch day at the plate. With just one hit in each game, Leggett tallied up a combined five RBIs on a two-run double and a three-run home run. 

Helping matters at the plate were Lauren Kachure and Haley Grau who both had three hits each on the day.

Game One - Capital wins 5-0 (Box Score)
Capital used smart base running to work in their favor throughout the whole of game one as the Crusaders grabbed runs via a passed ball, a sac fly, and a steal of home. 

In the second inning, Haley Grau doubled to lead things off. Then, Grace Lockard pinch ran for Grau and moved around the bases quickly. First she advanced to third on a wild pitch and then she scored the game's first run on a passed ball. 

The game remained without another run until the top of the fourth. Grau once again got things started by reaching via a single. She then moved around over to third on back-to-back errors by the Mount Union pitching staff. Alysa Durbin then  lofted a flyball to center than enabled Grau to score from third. 

The Crusaders added two more runs in the fifth on three straight great at-bats with two outs. First Tiffany Zuelzke singled, then Erica Ogden doubled to put two in scoring position. There, Lexi Leggett doubled to score both runs. 

The final insurance tally came the next inning with a bit of base-running magic. Alyx Slusher led off with a double and was pinch-ran for by Maria Keller. Lauren Kachure then singled to put runners on the corners. There, head coach Andrea Nagy put the steal sign on and both runners stole, enabling Keller to put the fifth and final run across for the Purple and White. 

Brianna Shearer had a great day in the circle pitching in game one. She hurled all seven innings and only allowed four hits and two walks in her complete game shutout. Making matters better, Shearer struck out five. 

The shutout was Capital's second of the season and first since March 20th when they beat John Carroll by a score of 3-0. 

Game Two - Mount Union wins 8-6 (Box Score)
The Crusaders looked to have a great game two going in their favor through the top of the third inning. Trailing by two after two, the Crusaders put up five runs in the top of the third. Tiffany Zuelzke singled and Erica Ogden walked to put two on. Lexi Leggett followed up by clobbering a three-run home run for the Purple and White. There, things continued. Haley Grau singled, and Alyx Slusher doubled, setting up Lauren Kachure. Kachure doubled enabling Slusher and pinch-runner Grace Lockard to run home. 

After Mount got a run back in the bottom of the third, Capital extended their lead to 6-3 in the top of the sixth. Alysa Durbin singled home Kachure, who had previously reached on a double. 

Unfortunately for Capital, the Purple Raiders exacted matters and picked it up with five runs in the bottom of the sixth, setting the tables for the final 8-6 score. 

Katelyn Wilhelm started for the Crusaders and was hit with the loss. She pitched five innings and was responsible for seven hits, seven runs (six earned) and four walks. She did strike out two in her efforts. Kim Rega relieved Wilhelm in the sixth and worked one inning, allowing one hit and a run. 

Up Next - 
The Crusaders will return to Alliance tomorrow for the continuation of their weekend series with the Purple Raiders. Game one is slated for 1 p.m. The games were moved back to Mount due to overnight rain forecasts in Columbus not boding well for Capital's field.