A long day for the Muhlenberg softball team turned out to be a very satisfying day: The Mules defeated Thiel, 8-3, and Otterbein, 1-0, to extend their winning streak to five. 

The opening game was delayed more than two hours by rain and was completed on a different field than it was started on. The reigning Centennial Conference pitcher and player of the week took care of business in the second game, with freshman Cora Bridgers pitching her second shutout and senior Kristina Qualben hitting her third home run.

The Mules' 5-1 start is their best since the 2014 team opened up 8-1.

The second win came against a strong Otterbein team that went 32-10 last year and won its first four games of this season. Bridgers silenced the Cardinals with a seven-hit shutout, lowering her ERA to 0.39. She struck out eight, walked none and allowed only three runners to advance past first base, all coming with two out.

Otterbein aimed to tie after putting the leadoff runner on base in the seventh. Bridgers struck out a pinch-hitter for the first out, and senior Kristy Selby ended the game by snaring a line drive and stepping on first base for an unassisted double play.

Qualben was responsible for the game's lone run, sending a high drive out to left with one out in the second for her 15th career home run.

The "shut 'em out, hit one out" win - a 1-0 game in which the only run scores on a homer - was the first for Muhlenberg since the 2011 CC playoffs against Dickinson.

A persistent rain in the opening game resulted in the Thiel pitcher having difficulty gripping the ball. After four walks and two wild pitches in the top of the second, play was halted. The teams moved to an adjacent field to resume the game following the long wait, only to have to move to a third field because of inadequate conditions.

When action finally started up again, freshmen Sarah Karmazyn and Kristin Oberg hit back-to-back singles to bring in three runs and extend the Mule lead to 4-0.

The Tomcats closed to within a run before Muhlenberg put the game out of reach with a four-run seventh, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of freshman Genna Cicchetti. Junior Sarah Schubert also had an RBI hit in the inning.

Junior Nicole Bergamo faced only six batters in two innings to earn the save. She helped her own cause after a leadoff walk in the sixth, catching a line drive up the middle and throwing to second for a double play - one of three turned by the Mules in the game.

Sophomore Sophie Chong allowed just one earned run in five innings to pick up her first win of the season.

Oberg (pictured above) went 3-for-4 in the first game and 4-for-7 on the day, raising her team-leading batting average to .579.