MAYFIELD, Ky. - Thursday was just what the doctor ordered for the Mid-Continent University softball team. The Cougars offense came to life, and they picked up two much needed wins to build some confidence.

Mid-Continent (4-18) tallied eight runs in the bottom of the seventh inning of their first game with Harris-Stowe State University (5-15) taking the game 17-4, then completed their first double-header sweep of the season with a 6-4 win in the second game.

Harris-Stowe jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game one, but from that point on, the game was all Mid-Continent. Mid-Continent took advantage of two Hornet errors in the top of the second, tallying four times to take a 4-2 lead. The Hornets tied things up in the bottom of the third, but Mid-Continent reclaimed the lead for good in the top of the fourth with two more runs. The Cougars added three runs in the sixth and an eight-run frame in the seventh, taking the win 17-4.

Lindsey Rucker picked up the win for Mid-Continent, tossing four and two-thirds innings of shutout softball in relief of Colby Smith. Jacki Dooley (3-6) was saddled with the loss for the Hornets. Christina Winsett had a pair of doubles and three runs scored in the game for Mid-Continent, Jessica Temple was 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, and three runs scored, and four other Cougars - Anna Maziarka, Bry Navarro, Jenavera Gibson, and Alyssa Ybarra - each scored twice in the win.

Mid-Continent built a 4-0 lead in game two, scoring single runs in the first and second frames, and adding two more in the third inning. Harris-Stowe got on the board in the bottom of the third with two runs to cut their deficit to 4-2, and in the fifth, the Hornets tied the game at 4-4 with two more runs. Christina Day knocked in Temple with no one out in the top of the sixth, picking up what proved to be the game-winning RBI, and Temple notched a sacrifice fly to cap the scoring in the seventh, giving Mid-Continent the 6-4 win.

Rucker (3-11) tossed three innings of relief in game two, picking up her second win of the day, this time defeating Abby Dunker (3-5). Smith, Temple, and Rachel Brueggeman each picked up a pair of hits in the game, and Maziarka notched a double in the game for Mid-Continent.

The Cougars will return to TranSouth play on Saturday afternoon, hosting Martin Methodist College (15-17, 3-3) for a double-header at 1 p.m.