MADISON, N.J. – Senior Bailey Comeau racked up 12 strikeouts in the opener, but the Drew University softball team lost a pair of close games to Kean University in a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at the Drew Softball Complex.
 
The Cougars (14-4) won both games by a 3-1 count to run their winning streak to nine.
 
Comeau's 12 K's marked the third-highest strikeout total in team history. She fell just one shy of the school record that she tied versus Juniata in 2021 and shares with Laura D'Ornellas C'15.
 
Comeau (5-2) worked the complete game, scattering seven hits and three walks.
 
The Rangers (12-8) struck first in the opener, scoring once in the first. Senior Molly O'Brien reached on a two-out bunt single before stealing second and third. She went on to score on a single from sophomore Fran O'Kleasky down the rightfield line.
 
The Rangers would put a runner on base in each of the next five innings, but were unable to dent pitcher Heather Clevenger (2-0), who tossed six shutout innings to end the game and finished with a five-hitter.
 
Kean tied it with a single run in the second before scoring the go-ahead run on a pair of hits in the third. The Cougars tacked on an insurance run in the seventh.
 
In the second game, sophomore Teagan Bradley fired a complete game for the Rangers and struck out a season-high seven while blanking the Cougars over the last three innings.
 
Kean struck first in the nightcap, scoring twice on three hits in the first inning. The Rangers in the bottom of the inning, when senior Madi Precht led off with a single and moved to third on sacrifice bunts from sophomore Haley Meierhofer and O'Brien. Precht would score on a single up the middle from freshman Josie Di Troia, making it 2-1.
 
The Cougars scored the only other run of the game on a pair of hits in the fourth. Meanwhile, Bradley blanked Kean over the last three innings and left runners on the corners in the seventh.
 
Sydney Hoxenbaugh (3-3) pitched the final six innings for Kean and allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out five.
 
The Rangers return to Landmark Conference play on Saturday, when they visit Catholic University in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.