MILWAUKEE – Freshman Sara McConnell hurled her second shutout of the season in game two, as the MSOE softball team earned a doubleheader split with Edgewood Sunday at MSOE Athletic Field.

The Raiders (11-9, 3-5 NACC) fell in the first game, 6-3, but made the Eagles (11-8, 2-4 NACC) their sixth shutout victim of the season in game two, 4-0.

McConnell (7-3) scattered six hits, striking out four and walking none in the game. She was not without incident, working around three baserunners on third base and having another thrown out at the plate on a hit to left field.

MSOE scored once in the second inning and tacked on three more in the fifth to win its third NACC game of the season, already one more than the whole of 2013.

The first run came on a delayed double steal in the second inning. Sophomore Lauren Boyle led off with a single, then moved to third when freshman Callie Wightman laid down a sacrifice bunt, but reached base on an error. Wightman then sacrificed herself on the base paths, allowing Boyle to scamper home on the caught stealing.

In the next half inning, Edgewood threatened to tie the score. Kylie Clark reached on an error, and tried to score on Rachel DeJongh's ensuing double. Junior Mikala Wendt's relay throw home beat Clark and Boyle applied the tag for the second out. DeJongh moved to third on the play, but was left stranded when McConnell got a strikeout to end the inning.

McConnell then deftly worked around the Eagle lineup, allowing her teammates to tack on three insurance runs in the fifth inning. Senior Alyssa Breuser led off with a triple and came home on an error by the catcher. Freshman Kailey Smith drove in a run with a ground out and the scoring was capped by an RBI single from Boyle.

Boyle and Breuser each had two-hit games in the nightcap.

The Raiders struck first in game one of the doubleheader, as well, tallying an unearned run in the first inning.

The Eagles, however, broke open the game with four runs in the next half inning. The first six batters of the inning reached base on four singles and two walks. At one point, the visitors stroked three-straight RBI singles and, when the dust cleared, they led 4-1.

MSOE pulled a run back in the third inning when McConnell led off with a single and scored on a Smith double. Unfortunately, EC tacked on two more runs a half inning later to pull ahead 6-2.

The Red and White's final run came when sophomore Katie Ready led off the fifth with a triple. After a McConnell walk, she scored when McConnell drew a pick-off at first base. The score made it 6-3 and that was as close as MSOE would get.

Smith had three hits in the first game, including a pair of doubles, to lead the offensive charge.

Freshman Shannon Curtis (2-5) started for the Raiders, striking out five and walking three in 6.2 innings. Wightman was called on for the last out.

MSOE returns to action Wednesday, hosting Alverno in a doubleheader.