Entering Saturday's doubleheader on the road at No. 10 nationally ranked Northampton Community College, RCSJ Softball Coach Steve DePasquale knew his team was heading into the toughest battle of his Region 19 schedule.

He was probably right. The No. 6 Roadrunners faced a tough battle and escaped with a doubleheader split, losing Game 1, 5-4, but rallying for a 9-8 win in Game 2.

"Coming into this, we expected a tough fight -- they are a solid team from top to bottom," said DePasquale. "We were prepared, but wedidn;y expect this to be easy."

In Game 2, the Runners scored three runs in the top of the eighth innning to snap a tie and take a 9-6 lead. They hung on as the home team rallied in the bottom of the frame only to fall short.

Rylee Shappell remained hot at the plate, collecting 2 hits, including a home run, and 3 RBIs to spark the triumph. Alexa Lee also added two RBIs to contribute to the win.

In Game 1, RCSJ fell behind 5-2 and scored two in the top of the seventh inning before seeing their rally halted to end the game.

The Runners' record now stands at 12-7 with the split.

Next up for Coach DePasquale's team is a doubleheader Sunday vs. Chesapeake College at home, with the first pitch at 12 noon.