HAMMOND, Ind. – The Parkside softball team stayed red hot Saturday afternoon, sweeping Purdue Northwest by scores of 8-2 and 6-5 at RUSH Physical Therapy Softball Field.

The sweep was Parkside's second straight in GLIAC play and pushed the Rangers' winning streak to five games. Parkside moved back to .500 in conference play at 9-9 and improved to 18-22 overall, climbing to fourth in the GLIAC standings and sitting just one game behind Sunday opponent Grand Valley State.

Casey Jo Vermett headlined the day in the circle, striking out 19 batters across the two games and earning both wins. Freshman Elodie Sullivan also turned in one of the biggest offensive days of her young career, homering twice in game one for her first two collegiate home runs.

GAME ONE (PARKSIDE 8, PURDUE NORTHWEST 2):

Parkside scored in each of the first four innings of the opener and never trailed, backing Vermett with timely power and steady pressure on the bases.

The Rangers got on the board in the first without recording a hit. Mia Johnson walked, Ava Swain was hit by a pitch, and after both runners moved up on a wild pitch, Reese Valha worked a bases-loaded walk to force in the game's first run.

Parkside added two more in the second. Taylor Utrata and Kendall Woods were both hit by pitches, Johnson singled through the left side to load the bases, and Isabel Aranda lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score Utrata. Moments later, Johnson stole second and Woods crossed the plate to make it 3-0.

The Rangers kept rolling in the third when Sullivan launched her first collegiate home run, a solo shot to center, stretching the lead to 4-0.

Purdue Northwest finally answered in the bottom half. Charli Westerfield walked, Kylie Dugan also drew a free pass, and Amanda DeBoer followed with an RBI single. Grace Wilson later brought in another run with a groundout, cutting the margin to 4-2.

Parkside responded immediately in the fourth. Swain led off with a solo home run to left, and after Megan Medlin walked, Sullivan went deep again with a two-run homer to center to push the Rangers in front 7-2.

That was more than enough for Vermett, but Parkside still added one more in the seventh. CICI Di Silvio doubled to right center, and Utrata singled and advanced to third on an error, bringing home Di Silvio for the final run of the game.

Vermett was in command throughout the opener, striking out 11 over seven innings while allowing just three hits and two runs. She worked around eight walks and two hit batters, but Purdue Northwest never came up with the big swing against her.

Sullivan led the offense by going 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored. Swain homered and drove in a run, Johnson reached base three times with a hit, two walks and a stolen base, and Di Silvio added a double and a run scored. Utrata had a hit, an RBI and was hit by a pitch, while Woods singled, walked and scored. Parkside finished with seven hits, seven RBI, seven walks and three hit batters.

Purdue Northwest totaled just three hits in game one. DeBoer drove in one, Wilson added an RBI, and Westerfield and Dugan each scored.

GAME TWO (PARKSIDE 6, PURDUE NORTHWEST 5):

The second game was far tighter, but Parkside again found a way late behind Medlin's clutch seventh-inning homer and more dominance from Vermett out of the bullpen.

The Rangers struck first with a three-run opening inning. Johnson singled sharply to center, Medlin drove her in with an RBI single through the left side, and after Sullivan followed with a single, Reese Valha reached on a fielder's choice as an error helped another run score. Di Silvio then singled to center and plated Sullivan to give Parkside a 3-0 lead.

Purdue Northwest answered in the bottom of the first when Charli Westerfield was hit by a pitch, moved up on two wild pitches and scored on a groundout by Jessy Del Toro.

The Pride pulled closer in the third. Dugan singled, Del Toro reached on a Parkside error, and Gracie Jensen doubled down the left-field line to score an unearned run and trim the deficit to 3-2.

After Parkside was held scoreless through the fourth and fifth, Purdue Northwest surged in front in the bottom of the fifth. Amanda DeBoer singled, Sylvia Mudis followed with a hit, and after Vermett entered in relief, Jensen tied the game with an RBI single. Jadyn Ramer added another run-scoring single, and a Parkside error brought home a third run of the inning to put the Pride ahead 5-3.

The Rangers answered in the sixth. Sullivan was hit by a pitch, Valha singled through the left side, and Di Silvio ripped a two-run double to left center to tie the game at 5-5.

Then came the decisive swing in the seventh, and fittingly, it came from the same bat that helped spark the offense early. The scoring in game two started with Megan Medlin, and it ended with her as well.

With two outs, Medlin crushed a towering solo home run to left, giving Parkside a 6-5 lead and putting the Rangers three outs away from the sweep.

Vermett took care of the rest. After entering in the fifth, she struck out eight over the final three innings and did not allow an earned run. She finished the game by striking out the side in the seventh, sealing her second win of the day and the Rangers' fifth straight victory.

Parkside finished with 10 hits in game two. Johnson went 2-for-4 and scored once, Medlin went 2-for-3 with the go-ahead homer and two RBI, Sullivan had two hits and two runs scored, and Di Silvio went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Valha added a hit and a walk, while Utrata also collected a hit.

Purdue Northwest matched Parkside with 10 hits. Jensen went 2-for-4 with two RBI, Ramer had two hits and a run batted in, and DeBoer added two hits. But after the fifth inning, the Pride could not solve Vermett.

The sweep gave Parkside its second straight GLIAC sweep and continued a strong second-half push in conference play. The Rangers are now 18-22 overall and 9-9 in the league, back to .500 in GLIAC play for the first time since opening conference action at 2-2.

Parkside returns to the road Sunday for a doubleheader at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Michigan.

First pitch is set for noon CT. To keep up with the Rangers, be sure to visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.