Defiance, Ohio – Receiving a set of terrific performances from two veterans, the Transylvania softball team carved out a pair of victories against the Defiance College Yellow Jackets Wednesday evening at Sal Hench Field.

Senior pitcher Renae Morton delivered her fourth consecutive shutout to lead the Pioneers to a 7-0 victory in the doubleheader opener while junior infielder Brittany Mumford tallied four hits over both games, playing an instrumental role in the Pioneers' 3-2 game two win.  

Mumford brought the offensive punch in both games, collecting four hits on the day. Mumford went 2-for-4 in game one while supplying all three of the Pioneers' RBI in the second game, including the go-ahead run on a solo home run in the fifth inning.

The Pioneers improved to 25-5 on the year and 11-1 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play to maintain their hold on first place in the conference standings with four games remaining. Defiance dropped to 20-12 overall and 8-6 in HCAC play.

Carrying a string of 34.2 consecutive innings without having allowed a run, Morton stepped into the circle against Defiance and game one and picked up from where she left off over her last three starts, retiring the first six batters she faced as the Pioneers built a 2-0 lead after two innings.

While Morton continued to fire away, the Pioneers used an RBI single from junior infielder Meg Liter in the first inning to tab one run, and a solo home run from junior designated player Jessica Powell in the third inning to craft a 2-0 lead.

The Pioneers used back-to-back RBI doubles from sophomore catcher Janelle Hynes and Powell in the fifth to add to their advantage for two more runs, and tacked on three runs in the top of the seventh to finish off their mastery of Defiance.

Morton struck out eight for the complete-game win while allowing three hits and no walks. Morton and Liter each went 2-for-4 from the plate.

In game two, offense was more tedious to come by for the Pioneers who took the first lead of the game via a two-run inning in the second but were tied up by Defiance in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Mumford continued to make her mark on the afternoon with a two-out RBI double that scored freshman infielder Sam Simons and senior outfielder Madison Dorsey for the early two-run cushion.

Defiance found its big hit in the fourth on a two-run homer from Jackie Hartman to tie the game at 2-2. But Mumford returned the favor to lead off the following inning, instantly taking back the lead for Transy on a home run.

The long bomb would be the final run of the day as neither side scored the rest of the way. Freshman pitcher Kameron Bowling limited Defiance's charge in six innings of work, yielding just two hits and one walk while ringing up five hitters. Morton returned for the final inning to retire the side and garner her fourth save of the season.

Transylvania now returns to Lexington to close out its conference season with a pair of doubleheaders, beginning on Saturday, April 28, hosting the Manchester University Spartans on Senior Day. Prior to the 1:00 p.m. doubleheader start, the Pioneers will celebrate the careers of three seniors: Dorsey, Morton and Destiny Garcia. The Pioneers close out their season on Sunday against Mount St. Joseph at 1:00 p.m.

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