GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – Sophomore Liz Cowell (Verona, N.J./Mount Saint Dominic) threw out the potential game-tying run at the plate to end the opening game and seal a 2-1 victory for Gettysburg College over Swarthmore College. The Garnet bounced back with a 7-3 decision in game two to earn a split in a Centennial Conference softball doubleheader at Bobby Jones Field Sunday.
 
Gettysburg (15-13, 10-2 CC) remained in the driver's seat in the conference standings with the final week of the regular season ahead. The Bullets have two less losses than second-place McDaniel College (19-16-1, 10-4 CC) and third-place Franklin & Marshall College (17-15, 8-4 CC) is two games behind.
 
The Orange and Blue didn't waste time jumping on the scoreboard in the first game against Swarthmore (17-11, 7-7 CC) as sophomore Sarahrose Jonik (Glenmoore, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) led off with a single and came around to score on a double to left-center by freshman Shelby Baker (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington).
 
Baker made her presence felt again from the defensive side in the top of the second inning, throwing out an attempted base stealer at second base with another runner holding at third base. Senior Aileen Reilly (Huntington Station, N.Y./St. Anthony's) induced a grounder to third to end the threat.
 
Jonik led off the third inning with a smash to left field for a double. After a pair of pop-ups, Swarthmore right fielder Marisa Mancini nearly came up with an incredible diving catch on a hit to the gap by junior Meredith Taylor (Hamilton, N.J./Northern Burlington), but the ball popped loose and Jonik came home to make it 2-1.
 
The Garnet picked up a run on a sacrifice fly by Emilie Morse in the sixth inning and appeared poised to tie the game in the seventh with runners on first and second with two outs. Marit Vike hit a bouncing ball up the middle and Fran Reckers made the turn around third base to score the game-tying run. Cowell made a perfect throw to the plate from center field and Baker applied the tag for the final out.
 
Reilly picked up the victory after allowing six hits and one run, while striking out three. The senior's first whiff made her the third Gettysburg pitcher and 12th in conference history with 400 career strikeouts. The victory was the 53rd of Reilly's career, leaving her two behind Shannon Kiry '06 for the program lead.
 
Jonik, Baker, and sophomore Taylor Doi (Foster City, Calif./San Mateo) each went 2-for-3.
 
The Bullets took the early lead in the nightcap on a bloop single by junior Sophia Blasius (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey) in the second inning. Gettysburg was set up for more runs, but Emily Bowman struck out Jonik with the bases loaded to quiet the threat.
 
Swarthmore jumped ahead with four runs in the third, including two on a double to left-center by Kennedy Kings. Three more runs scored in the sixth on a bases-clearing triple to left field by Vike to put the score at 7-1.
 
The Bullets closed the scoring with a pair of runs on a triple to right field by senior Stephanie Leonardo (East Haddam, Conn./Choate Rosemary Hall) in the sixth inning. 
 
Gettysburg visits Franklin & Marshall on Tuesday at 3 p.m.