CHICAGO – Loyola Chicago (5-24, 1-5) bounced back from the doubleheader loss with a decisive 7-1 victory over Saint Joseph's in the series closer on Sunday, March 23 at Loyola Softball Park. The Ramblers snapped a seven-game losing streak with their first Atlantic 10 conference win.  

"Our pitchers did a great job today of figuring out how to not walk people, how to not give up free bases and made balls get put in play. Our defense did a really good job not making a play bigger than it needed to be, and not rushing through it while our offense came through and did what they were supposed to do. I'm really proud of how we showed up today and I'm excited to see where we go from here," said head coach Alicia Abbott. 

How It Happened  
Loyola struck early, capitalizing on a clean defensive effort and timely hitting. Senior outfielder Riley Owens drew a bases-loaded walk in the first inning which brought home Haley Wallace to open scoring and put the Ramblers ahead, 1-0. The Hawks knotted up the game, 1-1, in the fourth frame after a passed ball allowed a runner to score.  

However, Loyola wasted no time answering in the bottom half. With two runners on, rookie Addyson Borg delivered a clutch two-RBI double to left center that plated Owens and freshman Alli Pawlowicz. Junior outfielder Sierra Sass, who leads the team in batting average (.452) and on-base percentage (.521), followed with an RBI single to plate Borg and give Loyola a 4-1 lead.  

The Ramblers tacked on three more runs in the fifth, capitalizing on a Hawks error. Sophomore infielder Nat Lesnicki doubled, and pinch runner Averi Vander Woude, another freshman, scored on Owen's single. Another Saint Joseph's error at second base allowed two more unearned runs to cross home plate, finalizing Loyola's lead at 7-1.  

Inside the circle, the Ramblers pitching tandem of seniors Andie Broniewicz and Peyton Pepkowski held the Hawks to just four hits. Broniewicz took the win and improved to 4-6 overall, throwing four innings of one-run ball and allowing four hits. Pepkowski, who registered her 600th career strikeout in game one, retired all eight batters she faced over three innings, striking out three in order. 

Inside the Box Score  

• Owens went 2-for-2 and added one RBI and two runs.
• Borg went 1-for-2, hit a double and added two RBIs.
• Sass went 1-for-3 and had one RBI and one stolen base.
• The Ramblers' recorded zero errors for the second time during the series.  

Up Next 
The Ramblers stay local to face crosstown rival DePaul in Lincoln Park before hosting Rhode Island on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30 in their third A-10 series of the season.