NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Senior Alexis Easling went the distance on the mound and hit an RBI double to lead the Mansfield University to a 2-1 non-conference victory over Keene State College in their final game of the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic on Friday, March 18. The Mounties dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to Westminster (Pa.) College in the morning.

The Mountaineers leave Myrtle Beach with a 4-6 record after earning splits the final three days of the week.

After three scoreless innings to begin the contest with Keene State (8-2 overall), the Mounties broke through for two runs after Easling doubled in senior Lacey O'Donnell and later came around to score on a single by freshman Natalie Blackstone.

The Mounties threatened with runners the rest of the way but couldn't get the key hit to extend the lead. However, Easling never wavered, carrying a shutout until the seventh inning.

Keene State scored an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Mountaineer lead in half, but Easling shut the door to seal the victory.

Easling has not allowed an earned run in seventeen straight innings, improving her record to 2-3 on the season. The senior scattered four hits in seven innings, while striking out eight.

Easling (2B) and Blackstone notched RBI, while O'Donnell (3-for-3, walk) reached base four time and scored a run.

Carissa Miller landed her first loss of the season on the mound for Keene, allowing two runs on six hits in seven innings, while Mia Ferry went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the offense.

In game one, the Mounties struck first when sophomore Kayla Vonstein used aggressive baserunning to score on a mishandled fly ball in the infield off the bat of senior Abbey Woodard, giving MU a 1-0 advantage.

Westminster immediately answered in the bottom half of the inning after taking advantage of two Mountaineers errors, knotting the score at one.

After a scoreless third, the Mounties used back-to-back doubles by Easling and Berardi to regain the lead, 2-1.

Game two starting pitcher junior Danielle Goff continued to cruise along until the bottom of the fifth when a Westminster leadoff double came around to score the tying run on a two-out passed ball.

The Mounties put the tying run on in the top of the seventh, but Westminster got out of the jam, before Ashley Wire singled in the game-winning run in the bottom half to seal the victory.

Despite the loss, Goff wrapped up a dominate week on the mound, allowing just one earned run in 6 and 1/3 innings of work, while striking out five. Easling and Vonstein each notched two hits and a run scored to lead the offense. Sophomore Anastasia Berardi added an RBI double.

For Westminster, Madison Brown earned the complete-game victory in the circle, while Wire led the offense with two hits and an RBI.

The Mounties travel to Wilmington, Del. for their final conference tune-up on Sunday, March 27, taking on Goldey-Beacom College for a noon doubleheader.