CLERMONT, Fla. – The Salem University softball team lost to the University of Bridgeport 4-2 and Kutztown 13-2, Thursday afternoon.
The losses bring the Tigers to 1-9 on the season.
Game one was a close match-up between the two teams as the Tigers marked nine hits, while Bridgeport recorded ten.
Salem generated seven of their nine hits in the first six innings, unfortunately the Tigers didn't capitalize on these hits with any runs.
The first run of the game didn't come until the third inning as Bridgeport produced two runs from a pair of singles and a double to take the lead 2-0.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Knights added two more runs to increase the lead 4-0.
The Tigers began to score in the bottom of the seventh inning as freshman
Paige Winans started the half with a walk.
A pair of doubles from junior
Sydney McPherson and sophomore
Casey Moritz allowed the Tigers to get on the board, cutting the lead 4-2. Only one other base runner reached in the bottom of the seventh to give the win to Bridgeport.
Sophomore
Rosey Romick led the Tigers at the plate going 3-3 with a walk.
In game two, the Tigers were overpowered by Kutztown's offense.
Although the Golden Bears only produced four more hits (13-9) than the Tigers, Kutztown ended the game early in five innings, 13-2.
Salem's pitching struggled against the Golden Bears' lineup as the hitters produced 13 runs off of 13 hits including two doubles, three triples and a home run.
It wasn't until the fourth inning that the Tigers crossed home plate. Salem loaded the bases after a single up the middle from junior
Christine Bombardiere, a fielding error and a single through the left side from McPherson.
Winans produced a RBI single through the right side to allow Bombardiere to score the Tigers' first run, cutting the lead to 8-1 in the middle of the fourth inning.
The Golden Bears scored five more runs in the bottom of the fourth, increasing the lead 13-1.
The Tigers' last chance came in the top of the fifth. Moritz led off the inning with a double over the left fielder's head.
Romick advanced Moritz to third base with a single to left field. Bombardiere singled to right field to drive in Moritz, 13-2.
The run-rule came into effect, cutting the game short after the top of the fifth inning to give Kutztown the win, 13-2.
Bombardiere led Salem in the second game with three hits, a run-batted-in and a run.
The Tigers face Saint Thomas Aquinas at 4:00 p.m. and New York Institute of Technology at 6:15 p.m., Friday evening.
