Patchogue, NY| A sixth-inning rally secured a sweep for the St. Joseph's College (L.I.) softball team, which picked up 6-5 and 13-7 victories over Skyline Conference rival SUNY Old Westbury on Saturday afternoon.

The wins bring the Golden Eagles back to .500 on the year (6-6) and ensure they kickstart their conference campaign with a 2-0 mark. The Panthers drop to 4-2 (0-2 Skyline) with the losses.

SJC 6, Old Westbury 5 (9 innings)

The sides essentially went run-for-run until the sixth inning when Old Westbury, with the scored tied at three, posted a pair of runs to go up 5-3.

SJC had no answer in the bottom half of the inning but forced extra innings when sophomore Elise Grau (2-for-4) knocked in a pair of runs with a two-RBI single through the right side.

With no winner found in the eighth, Grau seized the opportunity to play hero again, this time in the bottom of the ninth when her sacrifice fly to right field scored junior Lyndsay Smocer (3-for-4) and secured the 6-5 win.

Senior Theresa Cardello (3-2) allowed three earned runs and struck out a career-high 14 batters for the Golden Eagles.

Center fielder Franzelyn Russo was a game-best 5-for-5.

SJC 13, Old Westbury 7

A three-run first put Old Westbury in driver's seat, and it wasn't until the fourth inning that SJC got on the board when an RBI single and an RBI double off the bats of sophomore Ashley Accardi (1-for-4) and Garu (3-for-4), respectively, cut the deficit to one run (3-2).

The Panthers responded with three runs in the fifth to go up 6-2, but a monster sixth inning turned the game on its head. SJC tied the game at six via Grau's two-RBI double and Russo's (1-for-3) two-RBI single, but the hosts, sitting on two outs, would tack on an additional seven runs before taking a 13-6 lead into the seventh.

Old Westbury found a consolation run in the top of the seventh but it was all the guests could muster before succumbing to a 13-7 defeat.

Senior Ashley Blydenburgh (3-2) fanned six batters and allowed five earned runs in her third victory of the season.

The Golden Eagles return to action on Saturday, April 7 when they host Sarah Lawrence College for a Skyline Conference doubleheader at 12:00 pm.