The No. 12-ranked Knights softball team increased their lead in the Iowa Conference Saturday when they swept a doubleheader against Central College on the team’s Alumni Day.

The Knights shut out Central in the first game, 12-0 in five innings.

Knights head coach Kara Kehe emphasized the importance of her team coming out and dominating the game early on.

“One of the biggest keys was getting ahead early,” Kehe said. “To put up multiple runs consistently, it gives your pitchers breathing room, it gives you a chance to do some different things defensively. We worked out of some jams because our offense got the job done early on.”

In game two, the Knights had to fight a little harder for the win, but came out on top as they beat the Dutch, 3-1.

“It’s great for us to come out on Alumni Day and show them a great effort by our pitchers, our hitters and our defense,” Kehe said.

The Knights are now 6-0 in the conference and 17-5 overall.

Wednesday, the Knights swept another doubleheader, defeating Simpson College in Indianola.

The Knights routed the Storm in the first game, 11-3, in five innings.

“It’s great to go down to Simpson again and explode for four runs in the first inning,” Kehe said.

In game two, the Knights came out on top of a close one, 2-1.