BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Behind a big inning in game number one, consistent scoring in game number two and a pair of outstanding efforts in the circle, the Bridgewater College softball team swept a doubleheader from Hood College in the season openers for the Eagles.

Bridgewater (2-0) won game one 9-1 in five innings before winning game two by an 8-1 score.

In the opening game, both teams went scoreless in the first inning before the visiting Blazers got on the board on a solo homerun by pitcher Caity Battey to take a 1-0 lead after an inning and a half.

The Eagles responded with a big bottom half of the inning as the squad answered with five runs to take a 5-1 lead after two innings of play.

Following back-to-back outs to start the inning, senior Ann Komara walked before a Jenkins single pushed Komara to third base. After a passed ball, junior Morgan Williams reached on an error by the shortstop, as Komara scored to knot the game up at one each.

Senior Hillary Rees was hit by a pitch, loading the bases, before sophomore Kasey Anderson cleared the bags with a triple to left center to put the Eagles ahead 4-1.

Right fielder Aven Thomas added another run during the ensuing at-bat, drilling a single up the middle to score Anderson to hand the Eagles a 5-1 lead.

Both teams went down scoreless in the third before the Eagles added some insurance in the fourth.

More two-out magic ensured for the Eagles as an Anderson single and an error on the center fielder put the speedy sophomore on second base with two away. Thomas followed with a single, which drove in Anderson, to make the game 6-1.

Junior Melanie Lamb then worked the count full before drilling a pitch over the left-center field fence to extend the Eagles lead to 8-1.

Hood went down in order in the fifth before Anderson sealed the victory with a two-out single in the bottom of the frame, scoring pitcher Heather Jenkins to finalize the scoring at a 9-1 tally.

Anderson was outstanding at the plate in the opener, going 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBI. Thomas also recorded a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.

In the circle, Jenkins was stellar going the distance to earn her first win of the season. Jenkins surrendered just four hits and allowed the lone run on a homerun while striking out six.

Hood was paced offensively by Battey's long ball and a 2-for-2 effort from centerfielder Emalie Stroup.

Battey picked up the loss in the circle, allowing nine runs in 4.2 innings of action. Only three of the nine Bridgewater runs were earned as the Blazers committed three errors in the loss.

Game two saw the Bridgewater bats continue to remain hot while Thomas was lights out in the circle.

Thomas mowed through the Hood bats in the top of the first before Bridgewater tallied two runs in the bottom of the frame.

After a pair of groundouts to open the game, Thomas helped her own cause when she hit a laser over the left center field fence on the first pitch to put the Eagles up 1-0. Later in the inning, freshman Ashley Runion singled in an insurance run to extend the Bridgewater lead to 2-0.

After a 1-2-3 top of the second for the Blazers, Bridgewater tagged another insurance run on the board when a sacrifice fly from Rees plated Jenkins to push the lead to 3-0.

Thomas continued to roll in the third, striking out two more batters in the midst of retiring the side in order before the Eagles added two more runs to the board to own a 5-0 lead after three innings of play.

Following a Thomas single and an error during Lamb's at-bat, senior Sarah Heretick put runners on the corners on a fielder's choice. Runion plated Thomas with a groundout to tally the first run of the inning, before Goodman drilled a single to right field to push the Eagles advantage to 5-0 through three.

Both teams came up scoreless in the fourth before relief pitcher Summer Ramsey surrendered a solo home run to Brianna Dyckman on a 0-2 pitch to put Hood on the board.

Bridgewater effectively put the game away with three runs in the sixth as three hits and a costly Blazers error allowed the Eagles to own an 8-1 lead after six complete.

Williams led the inning off with a foul out before Rees doubled to left center and was advanced on a bunt single from Anderson. Thomas reached on an error on the pitcher in a sacrifice situation, plating Rees to push the lead to 6-1 before a Lamb single to center field pushed home Anderson to make the score 7-1. Thomas would later score on a wild pitch to finalize the scoring at 8-1.

Thomas paced the Eagles bats in game two with a 2-for-3 outing as Bridgewater tallied 11 hits on the game.

In the circle, Thomas got the win going four complete, surrendering three hits while striking out seven. Ramsey pitched three innings of effective relief, allowing just one hit and striking out one.

First baseman Kelly Gafner paced the Blazers in game two with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate.

Jenn Rutherford picked up the loss for Hood, allowing three runs on four hits in two innings of work. Rutherford was relieved by Allison Schuetz who worked the final four innings for the Hood pitching staff.

Bridgewater is back in action on March 5 when they open play at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla.