The University of La Verne softball squad returned to action which an offensive barrage, combining for 28 runs in a doubleheader sweep of visiting Stevens Institute Sunday afternoon at Wheeler Park. 

The Leopards posted consecutive run-rule sweeps over the Ducks, taking the first game in a 9-1 triumph before erupting for a 13-run third inning in the second game en route to a 19-0 triumph.

La Verne's 13 runs in the bottom of the third in Game 2 included 19 at-bats, six singles along with three Duck errors.  Candice Nunez and Danielle Vela each collected a pair of hits in the frame.  Nunez twice smacked two-run singles while Vela opened the inning with a later and would later hit a three-run double. Nunez and Vela combined for seven RBI in the game.

All told, the Leos registered 12 hits in the victory.  The benificiary of the run support was starter Rachel Hong who pitched four innings for the win with Rebecco Ho wrapping up the contest in the fifth, striking out the side to end the contest.

The Leopards opened the doubleheader with a 9-1 verdict over Stevens, which was playing its first game of the 2013 season. 

La Verne wasted little time with four runs in the bottom of the first.  After Rachel Hong doubled in Vela for a 1-0 lead, Katherine Kibbe belted her third homer of the season, a two-run blast to left center for a 3-0 cushion.  Breanna De La Rosa later hit a run scoring single for a four-run advantage.

Among the Leopards' nine hits included a triple from Vela and doubles by Freret, Hong and Nunez.

In the second inning, the Leos produced five runs off four hits.  An RBI double from Raven Freret, a run scoring single from De La Rosa along with a two-run single from Melisa Sponholz highlighted the frame to push the La Verne lead to 9-0.

Kibbe pitched a two-hit shutout while striking out six in five innings of work to improve to 6-0 on the year. 

La Verne improves to 12-4 overall and will resume SCIAC action on Friday on the road against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps beginning at 2:00 pm.