To be fair, the chances of the John Carroll softball team "winning 'em all" at this year's Spring Games was a long shot given the caliber of teams in this year's field.

The first four opponents alone were enough to constitute a gauntlet. Saint Vincent, Alfred, Wittenberg and Emmanuel were a combined 113-56-1 last season, and two -- Saint Vincent and Wittenberg -- were NCAA qualifiers. The other two played in their conference postseason tournaments.

Taking this into account, splitting on day two after sweeping day one seems all the more impressive.

In the opener today at Sleepy Hollow Field #6, John Carroll fell to Wittenberg, 6-3. On the same field several hours later, the Blue Streaks outlasted Emmanuel, 8-7.

Against the Wittenberg Tigers (32-9-1 a year ago and picked to finish second in their conference this year), the John Carroll offense struggled to get to 2016 NFCA All-Region first team pitcher Chelsea Zang. JCU managed just four hits but did score three runs. Lindsay McKnight and Carly Simecek had back-to-back RBI hits for the Blue Streaks in the top of the third to the game at that juncture at 2-2. But the Tigers answered with four runs in the bottom half of the frame and kept JCU at bay the rest of the way.

Hannah Mizener did hit a solo home run -- her second in Florida -- in the top of the seventh for the final tally fo the contest.

Next up for the Blue Streaks was a date against Emmanuel (MA), a team that won 26 games a year ago and reached the finals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament.

Emmanuel scored first and held a 2-1 lead at one point, but John Carroll scored four runs in the bottom of the third and two more in the bottom of the fourth to take an 8-2 lead. Elizabeth Fraas jump started the offense with a two-run blast that scored McKnight to give JCU a 3-2 lead. Mizener and Lauren Ogurek (making her first collegiate start) also had RBI hits in the inning.

The same trio of Fraas, Mizener and Ogurek also had run scoring singles in the fourth inning to give JCU a six-run lead.

It was a six-run advantage that was severely tested. The Saints roared back with four runs in the top of the sixth and had bases loaded with two outs and down just a single tally when Jennifer Patterson induced a ground ball for the final out. Emmanuel went quietly with three lazy fly balls for the final three outs in the top of the seventh as John Carroll improved to 3-1.

John Carroll pounded out 18 hits -- the most by a Blue Streak team since a 19-hit effort in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament on May 5, 2010, against Muskingum.  Mizener was 4-5 with three RBI, Ogurek was 3-4 with two RBI and Fraas with 2-3 with three RBi to lead the way. All nine starters either had a hit or scored a run.

Jessica Cook got the win by allowing two runs on four hits in four innings and striking out five.

JCU has an off day before resuming play Wednesday against Wheaton (IL) College. For inquiring minds, the Thunder were 32-14 last season and played in the NCAA Tournament.