Mercyhurst opened up a 4-0 lead over Pitt-Johnstown in Friday's PSAC Western Division softball opener at V.E. Erickson Complex on its way to a 10-1 victory, before completing the sweep with a 5-1 win in game two.  The Mountain Cats slipped to 11-27 overall and 6-20 in the PSAC West.
 
In the opener, Mercyhurst took advantage of a pair of Pitt-Johnstown first inning errors to score two unearned runs, and Anna O'Geen's RBI single in the top of the second made it 3-0.
 
Another unearned run in the top of the third and Allison Dejidas' solo homer to center in the fourth increased it to 5-0, before Pitt-Johnstown answered with a run in the bottom of the inning.  After a Tori Radvan single and Mia Smith's double to the gap in left-center, Maddie Flowers chased home Radvan with a single to right to cut it to 5-1.
 
However, Dejidas' second home run of the day, a three-run shot to center, in the fifth pushed it out to 8-1, and Francesca Latino's two-run homer to right in the sixth made it 10-1.
 
Flowers went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Jenna Tallman added two hits for Pitt-Johnstown.  The Mountain Cats also got doubles from Fox and Smith and base hits from Radvan and Emilia Santiago.
 
Kayla Miehl suffered the loss and fell to 0-3 after giving up eight runs (5 earned) on 11 hits over the first 4.2 innings.  Julie Shinavski pitched the final 1.1 innings and allowed two runs on one hit.
 
In the nightcap, Cheyenne Hindman connected for a solo homer in the top of the second off of Mountain Cat starter Mia Smith to give Mercyhurst an early lead.
 
The Lakers added three more in the third, before Fox scored on Radvan's two out single to center in the bottom of the fifth got the Mountain Cats as close as they would get at 5-1.
 
Miehl collected two hits in three at-bats, while Ailah Charles, fox, and Radvan accounted for Pitt-Johnstown other three hits.
 
Smith got the start for the Mountain Cats and suffered the complete-game loss to fall to 8-10.  Smith surrendered five runs on 10 hits, while fanning three and walking three.
 
Mercyhurst improved to 25-17 overall and 15-9 in the PSAC West with the sweep.
 
The Mountain Cats will travel to Slippery Rock to make-up Saturday's postponed PSAC doubleheader, before returning home to host conference doubleheaders against IUP of Friday at 2 p.m. and Clarion for Senior Day on April 29 at 10 a.m.