COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Capital University softball team enjoyed a dominant home opener sweep of the visiting Olivet College on Sunday afternoon. Capital took game one 10-1 in five innings before claiming the nightcap 17-4 – also in five innings. 

Capital is now 4-2 on the year while Olivet slips back to 0-4. 

Through the two games, Capital collected 27 runs, 23 hits, 14 walks and conceded just five total runs to the Olivet Comets. 

GAME ONE: Capital wins 10-1
After conceding a run in the top of the first inning, Capital got their offense going in the bottom of the first with big time hits. First, Tiffany Zuelzke reached on an error and was followed by Megan Mlinaric walking. Both of them would score on Kyleigh Kirby's two-RBI triple. Kirby then scored herself when Liz Stonerock singled to left field. Emma Sweetman would hit her first of three doubles in the game, but Cap wouldn't score anymore in the inning. 

In the second, Capital put the game out of sight as the Comets got four runs thanks to a grand slam from Kirby – her second home run of the week. The home run scored Zuelzke, Lexie Leggett, and Mlinaric. 

After another scoreless inning from Olivet, Capital added another run in the bottom of the third as Zuelzke singled home Sweetman who had doubled to lead off the inning. 

The icing on top to seal the run-rule was put on in the bottom of the fourth inning as Cap scored twice on a pair of errors. Those runs were scored by Krislyn Bayles and Emma Sweetman. 

Brianna Shearer pitched the first four innings, earning her second win of the season. She conceded just three hits and one run while striking out nine Olivet hitters. Jessica Workman pitched a scoreless fifth inning allowing just a hit while punching out one. 

GAME TWO: Capital wins 17-4
The Comets offense picked up right where they left off in game two, totaling 14 hits and eight walks to return 17 runs. 

In the bottom of the first, Capital exploded for nine runs as they batted around and nearly every player had a positive contribution. Runs came from Lexie Leggett's RBI triple, Megan Mlinaric's RBI double, Reese King's reach on an error, Autumn Bridges' RBI single, Tiffany Zuelzke's two-RBI double, and Leggett's single that yielded a run off an Olivet error. 

In the second, three more runs came home as McKayla Durr clubbed a three-RBI double to right center field. The hit marked her first career hit at the collegiate level. 

Olivet got a pair of runs through the third and fourth innings, but Capital came back with a flourish in the bottom of the fourth to seal the deal. Reagan Irons, Karri Albertini and Chandler Young all walked to load the bases. Hannah St. Clair then singled to score Irons. With the bases still loaded, Megan Mlinaric delivered an opposite-field grand slam for her first collegiate homer. 

Mlinaric was the starting pitcher in the game, and earned her first collegiate win in the circle. She pitched four innings and allowed two unearned runs on four hits and a walk. She struck out six batters in her time. Jessica Workman again pitched the fifth inning and allowed two runs on a walk and two hits. She struckout one batter as well. 

NOTABLES
Kyleigh Kirby finished the day a combined 3-for-4 with a walk, six RBIs, and three runs scored. She is now hitting a whopping .643 on the season. In game one, she finished just a double away from hitting for the cycle. 

Megan Mlinaric is hitting .563 on the season and finished today's doubleheader with three hits, three walks, two runs scored and five RBIs. 

Lexie Leggett and Tiffany Zuelzke are also hitting .500 or better through the first six games of the season. Today, Leggett went a combined 3-for-5 and Zuelzke was 3-for-4.  

UP NEXT
Capital will have a loaded week playing three doubleheaders this week. First, Cap will travel to Wooster on Thursday, March 30th, then to Ohio Wesleyan on Friday, March 31st. The week will culminate with their first OAC contest at Otterbein on Saturday, April 1st. Capital will play two games with Hocking College at Clowson Field on Wednesday, March 29th, but those games are slated as exhibition contests and will not count toward the team's stats and records.