FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mountie Softball Drops a Pair in Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH, SC – After winning its season-opener yesterday in impressive fashion, the Mansfield University softball team dropped a pair of games, losing 8-6 to Winston-Salem and 4-1 to Slippery Rock in Myrtle Beach Saturday afternoon.

In the opener against Winston-Salem, the Rams jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Mansfield got a run in the bottom of the third. Melanie Taylor led off the inning with a double for the Mountaineers and later scored on an error.

Winston-Salem added two more runs in the top of the fourth to extend the lead to 6-1 before Mansfield countered with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning. Laura Lawson drove in one run with a sacrifice fly with Amanda Goodwin plating another run with a double as the Mountaineers closed the gap to 6-4.

Winston-Salem added a run in the fifth and another in the seventh before Mansfield rallied starting with a leadoff home run by Rachel Sterner and RBI double by Kaitlyn Hewitt but it wouldn't be enough.

Goodwin went 2-4 with an RBI to lead the offense.

Errors hurt the Mountaineers in the 4-1 loss to Slippery Rock. The game was a scoreless tie until Slippery Rock scored twice in the bottom of the third inning. The Rock got two more runs, aided by two Mansfield errors, in the bottom of the fourth to go up 4-0.

Sterner tripled with one out in the top of the sixth and the Mountaineers loaded the bases on a pair of walks before freshman Leah McGovern singled to drive in a run.

Both teams had five hits in the game but Mansfield was charged with two errors to Slippery Rock's zero.

Ashley Inman went the distance and took the loss allowing just two earned runs and striking out one. Brooke Dawson was credited with the win scattering five hits and striking out six.

Sterner and McGovern each had two hits for the Mountaineers.

Mansfield closes out the Myrtle Beach trip against Wilmington (DE) Sunday morning.