This past weekend, Wilkes Softball was back in action after sweeping Drew University in their Landmark Conference opener. On March 29, the Colonels hosted Catholic University in their second doubleheader of the Landmark Season. A day later, on March 30, Wilkes took the trip to the Back Mountain of Luzerne County to take on Misericordia University.
In game one of the doubleheader against Catholic, Mia Butka was on the mound after pitching a complete game in extra innings against Drew a week earlier. Looking to move into first place in the conference, the Colonels were looking for a big win against a Catholic team that gave them some trouble in 2024.
Butka was able to grab another win on the season after pitching another complete game, this one ending in seven innings after the Colonel offense gave their starter plenty of run support.
They got things going in the second inning when Allyson Stafursky drove in a run on a sac fly to right field. Maddy Maloney then brought home the second run of the inning when she hit an RBI single to make it a 2-0 game. In the third inning, Stafursky and Maloney drove in more runs, making it a 6-0 Colonels lead going into the fourth frame. The Cardinals answered back with a run in the top of the fifth when Elise Faxon hit a double down the right field line.
For Butka, she pitched all seven innings, giving up one unearned run, striking out three, allowing six hits and walking two. For the Cardinals, Aubrynn Arcement pitched six innings, giving up six runs total while allowing nine hits. Arcement struck out three and issued just one extra base runner after a hit by pitch.
In Game two of the Catholic doubleheader, the ace of the pitching staff for the Colonels, Lauren DeMarco pitched a complete game shutout. The game stayed locked at 0-0 for most of the game until the Colonels struck first in the bottom of the fourth inning with Olivia Dougher singled to bring Hannah Boyd home. Talia Piragis drove in another run in the fifth inning to bring Stafursky home on a sacrifice fly RBI to left field.
Over the seven innings, DeMarco struck out five and issued no walks, while allowing just seven base runners all game. Her record moves to 5-1 on the season, lowering her ERA to just 0.82. The complete game was her fourth of the 2025 season.
The next day, the Colonels went up the Cross Valley Expressway to take on the Cougars of Misericordia. For the Colonels they were unable to grab a win, losing both games of the doubleheader.
Starting on the mound was Tessa Stafursky for the Colonels. The Cougars scored the opening run of the game in the second inning when a hit by pitch drove in a run with the bases loaded. The Colonels answered back in the third inning when Piragas and Butka drove in runs to make it a 2-1 game. Misericordia made it 4-2 when they drove in three runs in the fourth inning. Dana Messner then singled to left to bring in Abby Cruz to score Wilkes’ final run of the game. A four run inning for the Cougars secured an 8-4 win.
In game two, Bella Peters was on the mound for the Colonels. However early on, the Cougars ran away with the game in the first two innings. A three run bottom of the second inning and an eight run second inning saw Misericordia take a 11-0 lead. The Colonels answered back in the fourth and fifth innings with two runs to make it 11-2, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the game being called after five innings when the run rule was called.
After the weekend’s games, the Colonels moved into first place in the Landmark Conference with a 2025 record that stands at 4-0 in conference play. Overall, Wilkes currently sits with a season record of 9-6. They are back in action on April 2 when they take on the University of Scranton in Landmark play. The team will be back at the Ralston Athletic Complex on April 8 when they take on the Lycoming College Warriors.