The Emory University softball team defeated the Carnegie Mellon Tartans 2-1 in the final game of the four-game series Sunday afternoon at Cooper Field.

After splitting the series with the Tartans, the Eagles and Tartans are tied at 2-2 in UAA conference play this season. Emory also improves to 12-8 overall on the year with CMU dropping to 11-8.

In what turned into a pitcher's duel, the Eagles prevailed thanks to a couple of early runs and stellar defensive effort. Senior Mattie Ryan drew the start at pitcher and went the distance, giving up just five hits and one run while striking out two batters to move her season record to 10-2. Senior Megan Weisenberg went 2-for-2 at the plate and had one of the team's two RBI. Sophomore Natalie Costero was responsible for the other RBI as she posted a solid 2-for-3 day at the plate.

The Eagles took advantage of pitching miscues early from the Tartans as both graduate student Allie Moberg and Weisenberg reached base thanks to eight consecutive balls from Carnegie Mellon's starting pitcher. Two batters later, Costero blasted a run-scoring single up the middle that allowed the Eagles to take an early 1-0 lead.

A leadoff double in the third by Moberg was followed up by an RBI single from Weisenberg that put the Eagles up 2-0. The Eagles offense didn't have to do much more than that with Ryan giving up just one hit in the first five innings of play to hold the Tartans scoreless early.

The Tartans did manage to plate one run in the sixth and despite the Eagles loading the bases in the bottom of the sixth they were unable to score another run. With the Eagles up one in the seventh and the game on the line, Ryan delivered, forcing the final two batters for the Tartans into fly outs that would close the game giving the Eagles the victory.

The Eagles will play their last non-conference games of the regular season on Wednesday, March 30th at 2:00 PM when they take on St. Olaf in a doubleheader at Cooper Field.