The St. Lawrence softball team struck out cancer and swept the Union Dutchwomen in its final home games of the 2016 season; snapping a six-game slide with a 3-2 win in the first game and capping off the day with a 12-9 win in the second.

With its first conference sweep, St. Lawrence improves to 10-15 overall and 3-5 in Liberty League games. Union falls to 7-13 overall on the year.

The Saints held their second annual "Strike Out Cancer" event, honoring junior Jordan Sheridan's brother Jack and classmate Carly Dziekan's father Carl and all those affected by cancer in a pre-game ceremony. Jack and Carl are currently fighting battles against leukemia and lymphoma, respectively, and threw out ceremonial first pitches to kick off the day.

In game one, first-year Elle Gray hit her first collegiate home run – a two-run shot to straightaway center in the fifth inning – to help the Saints come from behind. The Sitka, Alaska native drove in all three runs for St. Lawrence in the opener.

Additionally, fellow rookie Allie Courtwright struck out a career-high eight batters on the day in the complete game win; her third of the year, as the Southborough, Mass. native allowed two runs on six hits.

In the third inning, Gray put the Saints in front 1-0 with an RBI double to left field that drove in Dziekan.

Union took the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth on four hits and one error to make it 2-1 in favor of the visitors.

But in the bottom of the fifth with one out, Kylee Knight singled up the middle to put a runner on for Gray who drilled a shot over the wall in center field to put St. Lawrence in front for good at 3-2.

In the second game, Union scored three runs in the top of the first inning off starter Hannah Sears before she was relieved by Emma Gailey who would pick up the win in six and two-thirds innings of work, allowing 11 hits and six runs while striking out six.

Down 3-0, St. Lawrence answered with six in their half of the first inning on three hits and three errors by the Union defense.

First-year Mylea Mann drove in two runs with a double to left, scoring Knight and Emma Reakes, before scoring the Saints third run on an RBI single by Allie Courtwright.

After Abrianna Schlickenmayer was hit by a pitch and Carly Dziekan earned a walk to load the bases, Jacqueline Dufour pinch hit for Sheridan and would reach on a fielding error on a pop fly behind second base that allowed two runs to score and advanced Dziekan to third.

In the next St. Lawrence at bat, Knight beat out a throw with an RBI single to third base, making it 6-3 Saints heading into the second.

Union added four runs in the next two innings, to take a 7-6 lead through two and a half, but a five-run third for St. Lawrence would prove to be the difference.

Schlickenmayer led off the inning with a single to left center and back-to-back errors put Dziekan and Sheridan on to load the bases.

Gray worked an RBI walk to tie the game at 7-7 and Emma Reakes followed with a two RBI single to center field; though three runs came across on the play with Gray taking home after an errant throw for the Saints 10^th run.

Kelsey Murphy plated the 11^th with an RBI single through the right side that drove in Reakes to round out the inning and put the Saints solidly in front 11-7.

The 12^th and final run of the day for St. Lawrence once again came off the bat of Gray, as she doubled down the left field line to score Knight.

Union would score a run in both the sixth and seventh innings, but couldn't put together a rally to close the gap.

Gray finished with three hits and five RBI through both games, while Knight and Mann led the Saints with a pair of hits in game two. Mann and Reakes both also had two RBI in the 12-9 win.

Next up for St. Lawrence is a nonconference doubleheader at Middlebury on Tuesday, April 19 with the first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.