YPSILANTI – The long ball was a prominent feature for the Eastern Michigan University softball team as the Eagles were triumphant in their home opener, sweeping a doubleheader, 10-2 and 8-0, against the University of Detroit-Mercy Wednesday at Varsity Field.

Five home runs were hit in all for the Eagles, including two by senior Jenny Scherer which gives her six on the season and 42 for her illustrious career. She went back-to-back with her sister, Allison Scherer in the third inning of game two. Meanwhile, freshman Katy Blaharski hit her first career home run, and the first in her lifetime, leading off game one with an opposite field shot on the first pitch she saw.

Blaharski set the tone in game one with that first inning long ball as the Eagles went on to put up a three-spot and would never look back. EMU scored a run in each inning, putting up three more runs in the fourth with Jenny Scherer’s first home run of the day. Stacie Skodinski, who shared a birthday with Jenny Scherer on the final day of March, went 4-for-4 in game one with three singles, a double, an RBI and three runs scored. She raised her season batting average 27 points to .431 (25-for-58).

Jaclyn Caro pitched three solid innings in her fifth start of the season and earned her first win of the year in the process. She gave up one run on four hits while striking out six and walking just two in three innings of work. Jenna Ignowski picked up the first save of her career with three effective innings of relief to close out the 10-2 win.

In game two, Jillian Willamson had her most impressive effort of the season, going the distance in her first career complete game shutout. The freshman gave up just three hits while striking out four and walking three in five innings of work. It was the second shutout of the season for the Eagles. Ignowski accomplished the feat in a 1-0 victory over Florida Gulf Coast back on March 2.

The Eagles kept the pressure on at the plate with three players recorded multi-hit games including McKenna Russ and Scherer sisters. In a very rare occurrence, Jenny and Allison Scherer hit back-to-back home runs with one out in the third inning. After Jenny went deep with a tape-measure shot over the 220-foot sign in center field, Allison followed up with a no-doubter of her own in the direction of the scoreboard in left center field.

The Eagles out-hit the Titans 16-6 in game one and 9-3 in game two, dropping the visitors to their eighth straight loss. Meanwhile, the Eagles snap a five-game losing skid and look ahead to the start of Mid-American Conference play this weekend as they take on Toledo in a Friday doubleheader April 2, and Bowling Green and a pair of single games Saturday, April 3 and Sunday, April 4. All four games will be on the road as EMU embarks on a string of eight straight MAC road games to start the conference season.

The first pitch of Friday’s doubleheader with Toledo is slated for 1 p.m. in the Glass City.