Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Malone University softball team (4-1) dropped its first game of the season on Tuesday to Lycoming College (PA) (3-1) by a score of 6-4 but responded with an 11-7 win over St. Catharine College (KY) (5-3) to get back on the winning track at the Fastpitch Dreams Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

In game one, the Pioneers clung to a 4-3 lead through four innings before a few critical defensive errors in the top of the fifth inning led to three Lycoming runs. The Pioneers entered the bottom half of the seventh trailing 6-4 but hinted at the possibility of some late-game heroics. With one out, sophomores Emily Isla and Desi Hengoed delivered back-to-back singles to put the tying runs on base. However, the excitement waned when freshman Allison Mercado skied one to short and freshman Erika Gerber lined out to right field to end the game.

Hengoed and Gerber were responsible for seven of Malone's ten hits. Hengoed was the standout going 4-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while Gerber went 3-for-4.

Junior Stephanie Byrne (2-1) fell victim to her team's defensive blunders, picking up the loss after yielding six runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Against St. Catharine, the Pioneers jumped out to a 5-0 lead highlighted by a two-run homer off the bat of sophomore Alexa Holztrager in the top of the fourth inning. St. Catharine mounted a charge by plating four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to draw within a run, but Malone tacked on two in the top of the sixth to regain a comfortable cushion. The Pioneers, who headed into the last inning holding a 7-4 lead, scored four in the seventh to take an 11-4 lead. Those runs proved to be vital as St. Catharine tacked on three in its last at-bats to make the final score 11-7.

Holztrager was the offensive catalyst for Malone, scoring four runs. Freshman Mikayla Fowler enjoyed a 3-for-4 ballgame at the plate while fellow freshman Allison Mercado went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three rbi's.

Junior Jillian Coyle advanced to 3-0 on the season by picking up the complete game victory on the rubber.

Malone continues play in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Break Classic with two games Wednesday; the first at 9:30 a.m. against York College (PA), and the second at 1:30 p.m. against the University of Mount Union.