BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Brookdale Community College, the #3 ranked team in the country, used strong pitching and timely hitting to sweep Northampton, 5-1, 12-7, in a Region XIX doubleheader on Saturday.

In game one, the Spartans managed only 3 hits and Courtney Rice drove in the Spartan's only run with a sacrifice fly in the 5th inning, scoring Mel Morekin.

Game two was a back and forth affair, with Brookdale scoring 2 runs in the top of the first, but NCC responded with 2 in the bottom of the 1st to tie the score.  Brookdale jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but the Spartans responded, tying the game at 7-7 in the 4th inning.

The Jersey Blues broke the game open with a 3-run homerun in the 5th and added 2 insurance runs late to take the 12-7 victory.

Jaclyn Gates and Beth Ronalds each had two hits, while Julia Weber added 2 hits and 3 RBI.

"We continue to make mistakes that you just can't make against good teams," echoed Head Coach Tony Cocca, "we need to put 7 solid innings together if we want to compete for the Region championship."

NCC, which garnered votes in the last NJCAA poll, falls to 10-4 in Region XIX and 16-11 overall.

Brookdale improves to 11-1 in Region XIX and 34-4 overall.

Northampton returns to action on Sunday when they host Bergen Community College at noon.