KIRKLAND, Wash. – Two nine run efforts verse Northwest University boosted Lady Argo softball's conference record above the .500 mark and gave UGF its first on-field series sweep as members of the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The 9-0 and 9-1 wins over the Eagles also puts Great Falls into second place in the CCC's East Division.
 
Game 1, a 9-0 shutout for UGF, was the result of a seven inning, two hit pitching effort for senior Keeley Van Blaricom (6) and two four-run innings for the Lady Argo batters. Van Blaricom struck out seven batters and only walked one on her way to earning her fifth win of the season and 2.83 era.
 
Junior Jocelyn Kaufman (15) started the run support for her pitcher with a double to center in the top of the third inning for the team's first extra base hit of the game. Kaufman would then score the first run of the game, reaching home off of an error during the ensuing at bat.
 
Her run was followed by three more, including two off of a double by senior Mindy Larson (4). Larson's two RBI hit was part of a three hit, three RBI, two extra base hit game for the short stop.  
 
With an already comfortable 5-0 lead heading into the top of the 7th, UGF added another four just to make sure a late inning comeback was too far out of reach. Once again the rally started with a double, this time from senior Alex Lowry (14) in left center, and once again the first run came off an NU error. Van Blaricom joined the party in the left center gap with a double that drove in Larson and junior Alissa Keeler (13).
 
UGF switched pitchers and spread out the scoring a bit more in Game 2, but the result was almost identical: a 9-1 victory. In the circle for the second go-round was junior Shelby Abeyta (28) who earned her second win of the year with a four hit, eight strikeout complete game effort.
 
This time it was Lowry and Keeler driving in a majority of the runs starting with an RBI single to center from the latter that drove in the opening run in the top of the first. For the first time all day, the Eagles answered with a run of their own.
 
Abeyta settled down after that and the Lady Argos scored eight more runs in the next five innings. During that stretch, Lowry hit her second home run of the season, and knocked a two RBI double to left center in the sixth. A two RBI single from Keeler followed that and brought Lowry and senior Chloe Cross (3) home. Both Keeler and Lowry finished with two hits and three RBIs in game 2.
 
The two wins puts the Lady Argos ahead of The College of Idaho for second place in the CCC East Division with a record of 13-9 (5-3). Their next doubleheader will against the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC on Monday, April 4 starting at 1 p.m. MST.