OAK CREEK, Wis. — With a demanding 10-game home sprint to close the regular season, Milwaukee Area Technical College softball opened its final week on the right note Monday, sweeping Morton College 12–8 and 8–0 in five innings to extend its win streak to three games. The pair of home victories pushed the Stormers to 16–25 overall and 7–9 at home, giving MATC early momentum heading into another doubleheader Tuesday against No. 5 Joliet Junior College.

MATC backed up its strong start with a heavy offensive push in the opener, collecting 17 hits in a 12–8 win paced by Rylyn Paulick, who went 3‑for‑5 with a team‑high three RBIs and a run scored. Six Stormers recorded multi‑hit games, including Caia Lund, who finished 2‑for‑3 with a two‑run homer, a double and three runs scored. MATC then shifted to pitching and defense in Game 2, riding a complete‑game five‑inning shutout from starter Chloe Lago, who allowed five hits with no walks while working in front of a clean defense that committed no errors. The Stormers sealed the 8–0 victory with a four‑run fifth that featured a two‑RBI triple from Mia Carani followed by a two‑run homer from Ellie Brzek.

"We've been looking forward to this nice long home stretch all season long," MATC head coach Joe Kunter said. " It's going to be a great week and it was awesome to see the girls take care of business against Morton to open the week off strong."

Game 1: Stormers 12, Morton 8
MATC opened the day with one of its most productive offensive efforts of the season, outlasting Morton 12–8 in a game where both teams scored in five separate innings but the Stormers controlled the tempo throughout. The 17‑hit performance included a four‑run fourth inning that created the separation MATC needed to secure its third straight win.

"I was happy with our hitters' approaches at the plate," Kunter said. "We waited for our pitch and swung at strikes."

Morton struck first with a run in the top of the first, but MATC answered immediately. Emily Pujanauski delivered a two‑RBI single after the bases were loaded, and Zoey Murph followed with an RBI single to make it 3–1. The Stormers added another run in the second when Lily Dermyer singled and later scored on a Jayden Moss RBI single.

Morton briefly tied the game in the third, scoring four runs in the inning, including three that came from four straight hits to open the frame. MATC responded right away. Maiya Tearney drew a leadoff walk, and Lund followed with a two‑run homer to left that restored a 6–4 lead. Morton cut the margin to one with a run in the fourth, but the Stormers answered again with their biggest inning of the game. Hayley Beckman doubled and scored on a Murph RBI single, and Dermyer and Paulick added run‑scoring singles to push the lead to 10–5.

"It's really fun seeing the team hit the ball with the amount of hits we had," Paulick said. "I think it's been a little bit of a rough season mentally for all of us, so being able to come together and have everyone hitting and cheering in the dugout was really fun to be a part of."

MATC added two more in the sixth on an RBI bunt single from Paulick and an RBI single from Amira Baldon. Morton scored twice in the seventh on a pair of defensive miscues, but the Stormers closed it out to secure the opener.

Paulick led the Stormers by going 3‑for‑5 with three RBIs and one run scored. Lund went 2‑for‑3 with a two‑run homer, a double, a hit‑by‑pitch and three runs scored. Pujanauski collected two hits and drove in two. Dermyer added two singles, one RBI and two runs, and Murph finished with two singles and two RBIs. Carani reached four times on two walks and two singles with one run scored, while Beckman and Tearney each doubled once.

In the circle, Jordan Hanserd earned the win after allowing four earned runs on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Lily Dorado followed with four innings of strong relief, giving up four runs, two earned, on seven hits with no walks and one strikeout.

Game 2: Stormers 8, Morton 0 (5 Innings)
MATC closed the sweep with one of its most complete performances of the season, pairing a steady offense with a shutdown outing from Lago in an 8–0, five‑inning victory. The Stormers scored in four straight innings and delivered their strongest push late, while Lago controlled the game with three perfect innings and composed work in traffic during the second and fourth.

"I started really settling in in the third inning because me and Ava D'Acquisto were just having so much fun out there, joking around more," Lago said. "I know when I'm having fun and not taking it so serious, that's when I tend to pitch well."
MATC's biggest surge came in the bottom of the fifth, when four straight hits opened the inning. Beckman singled, Neave doubled and Carani followed with a two‑RBI triple to break the game open. Brzek then delivered the final blow with a two‑run homer to left that ended the game by mercy rule.

The Stormers had already built a 4–0 lead through the first four innings. Brzek reached on an infield error to start the second and later scored on a Dorado groundout. Beckman added a two‑out single in the third and scored on Neave's RBI double. MATC tacked on two more in the fourth when Brzek singled, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on a Dermyer RBI single. Hallie Knurowski brought in Dermyer with a successful sacrifice bunt.

The fourth inning also featured one of the game's toughest plate appearances when Dorado battled through a 15‑pitch at‑bat, fouling off six straight pitches before striking out. The extended trip helped wear down the Morton starter and prolonged an inning that already leaned heavily in MATC's favor.

Neave led the Stormers by going 3‑for‑3 with a triple, two doubles, one RBI and one run scored. Brzek added two hits, including her two‑run homer, and Beckman collected two singles and scored twice. Carani delivered a two‑RBI triple and scored once, while Dermyer added a single, an RBI and a run. Dorado and Knurowski each drove in one. Lago earned the win with a complete‑game five‑inning shutout, allowing five hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

UP NEXT
MATC (16–25) continues its packed final week Tuesday with a home doubleheader against No. 5 Joliet Junior College (NJCAA Division III), beginning at 3 p.m. at the Oak Creek Campus. The Stormers enter the matchup on a three‑game win streak and will play eight more times between Tuesday and Saturday to close out the regular season.