NILES — The winning ways of the Dowagiac softball team continued as the Chieftains swept Brandywine and Paw Paw to stretch their winning streak to 10 games.

A potent offense continues to be the reason the Chieftains have erased a 10-game losing streak at the start of the season that left them at 3-10.

Dowagiac has turned around its fortunes, thanks mainly to the long ball, and now sits at 13-10 heading into Tuesday’s Wolverine Conference doubleheader with Vicksburg.

“I just told the girls, this is the first time this late in the season in two years that we have been over .500,” said Veteran Dowagiac coach Mike Behnke. “That is a good feeling. Winning games is fun. They are having fun and they are playing better.”

The Chieftains have gotten better pitching from Sierra Carpenter, a freshman, and Jessie Hulett, a junior.

Because they are pitching better, the Chieftains are playing better defensively, although against Brandywine in its 9-5 win, they gave the Bobcats some extra opportunities in the first inning, which led to the home team scoring four runs.

Dowagiac played nearly flawless softball from that point and turned it over to its offense, which delivered 15 hits, including four extra base hits.

Carpenter had a pair of doubles and a pair of home runs for the Chieftains, while Taylor Pye added a pair of doubles.

In the nightcap, Dowagiac amassed 19 hits, including five doubles and a triple as the Chieftains won 13-8.

Pye tripled, while Hullet had a pair of doubles. Madison Potter, Maddie Stockwell and Greta Whitaker also had doubles.

Behnke said that his team also showed some grit against the pesky Bobcats.

“In the first, we gave up three errors in the first inning, and then our bats came alive,” he said. “We played good defense and got good pitching after that.”

In the second game, Hulett struggled in the circle, but refused to come out when Behnke went to relieve her in the seventh inning.

That desire to win showed the veteran Dowagiac coach something about his pitcher.

“She would not give me the ball when I asked for it,” Behnke said. “I told her she had to convince me she wanted to stay in. She wouldn’t give me the ball and she told me she would get it done, which she did.”

Dowagiac played a pair of wild Wolverine Conference games at Paw Paw on Friday, coming away with a 14-7 and 20-18 wins.

The hitting parade continued for the Chieftains as they had 18 hits in the first game and 21 hits in the nightcap.

Carpenter, Mekenna Gaideski and Hulett all homered in the first game, while Anna Dobberstein doubled.

In the second game, Carpenter, Pye, Amiyah Smith and Whitaker all doubled.