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Lourdes opened the home portion of the 2018 season on Sunday afternoon, dropping both ends of a doubleheader to 18^th-ranked Lawrence Tech 11-3 and 12-3 at Pacesetter Park.
 
The Saints used big innings in each game to break them open, pounded out 23 hits, and took advantage of six errors on the afternoon to record the sweep.
 
Saint Francis jumped in front in the second inning of game one, scoring five times on just one hit.  The Saints drew three walks, were hit by a pitch, and made the most of two Lourdes errors while sending 10 batters to the plate.  After adding a single run in the fourth, Saint Francis batted around again in the sixth, plating five more runs to build an 11-0 lead.
 
Lourdes got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth, as Taylor Genzman (Saint Clair Shores, Mich./Lakeview H.S.) delivered a run-scoring single and Marissa Kostick (Saint Charles, Mich./Saint Charles H.S.) added a run-scoring fielder's choice.  Genzman stole home with the Gray Wolves' final run, as Lourdes came up one run short of extending the game.
 
Morghan Dieringer went the distance for the win (7-2) for the Saints, allowing two hits and just one earned run while striking out five and walking three.  Brooke Gallaher (Oregon, Ohio/Clay H.S.) suffered the loss (1-4), surrendering six runs, four of which were earned, and four hits in five innings.  She walked five and struck out two.
 
The Saints jumped in front in game two with a six-run first, sending 10 batters to the plate.  Saint Francis added three more runs in the second to increase the lead to 9-0.
 
Olivia Stanton (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland H.S.) put Lourdes on the scoreboard in the third with a two-run single.
 
Saint Francis (11-5) added three in the top of the fifth before Lourdes added one final run in the bottom of the inning.  Stanton doubled home Shylee Schmeltz (Northwood, Ohio/Gibsonburg H.S.), but the Gray Wolves stranded two runners in scoring position as the game ended.
 
Stanton and Alyssa Ziegler (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold H.S.) each had two hits for the Gray Wolves.
 
Taylor Barsz earned the win (3-2), allowing nine hits and the three runs in five innings while Kostick took the loss (3-1), giving up eight runs and seven hits in one inning.
 
Lourdes (6-8) has 10 days off before returning to the diamond on March 28, hosting the University of Michigan-Dearborn to open Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play.  First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 4:30 p.m. at Pacesetter Park.