CLERMONT, FL - The Salem International University softball team looked to bounce-back on the second-day of action at the 2017 PFX Spring Games in Clermont, Florida. The Tigers fell 7-1 in their first game of the day against Urbana University and 7-5 in their second matchup against Concordia (N.Y.).

Junior Ariana Garcia finished 2-for-4 with a double for SIU against the Blue Knights, while freshman Naomi Smout finished 2-for-4 with a double and one run scored. Senior Vanessa Jimenez recorded the lone RBI for the Tigers.

The Tigers would be hindered by committing six errors in the contest and seeing a 2-1 deficit entering the top of the seventh inning turn into a 7-1 gap after a five-run inning for the Blue Knights.

Urbana's Caitlyn Stoner would give the Blue Knights a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with her double. Mykee Holtz would then make it 2-0 with a run-scoring single for Urbana.

SIU cut the Blue Knights' lead in half (2-1) in the bottom of the second inning as Jimenez worked a walk with the bases loaded to plate Smout from third base. The Tigers looked for more in the frame but would leave the bases loaded.

Junior Kayla Lynch would settle down and keep Urbana off of the scoreboard until the top of the seventh inning. The SIU offense looked to get Lynch off of the hook in the bottom of the fifth inning as junior Hanna Crew delivered a one-out single for the Tigers. She would be followed by a single from Garcia that prompted the Blue Knights to make a pitching change.

Carly Allen took over for Urbana starter Courtney Stewart in the circle with runners on first and second. Allen would strikeout back-to-back batters to end the frame and the SIU offensive threat.

Lynch (2-4) took the loss for the Tigers, allowing 11 hits in 6.2 innings of work. Freshman Rosey Romick faced two batters after taking over for Lynch with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, surrendering a hit and recording the final-out of the frame with a caught-stealing.

The Tigers' second game of the day would take a little longer to see the first run cross the plate. Romick got the start for SIU against Concordia and would keep the Clippers off of the scoreboard until the bottom of the fifth inning.

SIU took its first lead of the day in the top of the fifth inning by scoring four runs. The inning would be highlighted by a lead-off triple from freshman Morgan Atkinson and RBI-single from Romick to give SIU a 1-0 lead. Smout delivered an RBI-double for the Tigers in the frame and would later score on a base-knock from senior Jordan Williams. Williams then scored off an error by the Clippers that allowed Jimenez to reach base safely.

Unfortunately the lead wouldn't hold for long as Concordia answered with six runs against SIU in the bottom-half of the inning. The Clippers recorded one hit in the frame but would see the Tigers commit four errors.

Sophomore Kaleigh Decker trimmed the deficit for the Tigers to 6-5 in the top of the sixth inning with a run-scoring single. Decker would plate Atkinson, who recorded a single of her own earlier in the inning.

Concordia continued the trend of following an SIU run with a run of its own in the bottom of the sixth to regain a two-run advantage (7-5). The score would hold for the Clippers after keeping the Tigers off of the scoreboard in the seventh inning.

Jimenez finished the game 1-for-4 with a double, while Atkinson finished 2-for-3 with a single and a double. Romick and junior Katie Holestin both saw action in the circle for the Tigers with Holestin taking over for Romick with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning.