Salem, Va. – The Millersville softball team had bases loaded with the winning run at the plate in the final at-bats in both games Saturday but was unable to pick up wins. The Marauders dropped their games against Fairmont State, 6-4, and Alderson-Broaddus, 5-4.

Millersville (8-8) played through two scoreless innings with Fairmont State (6-9) before it broke the 0-0 tie in the third.

Deanna Schneiderreit led off the inning with a double to left field. She advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Ally Homa to put the Marauders in scoring position with just one out.

Two batters later, freshman Davina Kachnovitz drove in Schneiderreit with her second double of the season to put Millersville up, 1-0.

The score remained 1-0 until the fifth inning when Fairmont State finally found its bats. The Lady Falcons connected on their first hit of the game plus three more to take a 4-1 advantage.

The Marauders and Lady Falcons exchanged two runs in the bottom of the fifth and top of the sixth, respectively, to enter the final inning with the score 6-3 in favor of Fairmont State.

It was three up, three down for the Lady Falcons in the top of the seventh, leaving three outs for their defense to close out the game.

Three singles in the bottom half of the inning by Homa, Kachnovitz and Kelly Fitzgerald made it bases loaded for Millersville with two outs to play. Taylor Odell-Smith came up to the plate and ripped one over the fence down the left-field line but foul. Odell-Smith then scored Homa on ground out to put the Marauders within two.

Fairmont State's Chelsea Cobb retired the side to earned the win, pitching three strikeouts and no walks in seven innings of work.

In a similar fashion Millersville battled with Alderson-Broaddus in another scoreless opening two innings in the second game.

The Battlers broke the tie in the third after back-to-back doubles by Heather Vestal and Lisa Boswell to go up 1-0. The fourth inning was when Alderson-Broaddus broke through. Alderson-Broaddus' first baseman, Emily Pritt, led off the inning with a solo shot over the left field fence. Three consecutive singles and three runs later, the Battlers increased their lead to 5-0.

In the bottom half of the inning Kelly Fitzgerald stepped up to the plate after the first two batters were retired and responded to Pritt's solo home run with one of her own to put the Marauders on the scoreboard. Fitzgerald is currently on a 15-game hit-streak going back to the second game of the season.

Moving to the bottom of the seventh inning, down 5-2, Odell-Smith came to the plate with bases loaded as the winning run, much like the preceding game. She singled to center, driving in two runs to bring Millersville within one.

That was as close as the Marauders came as Alderson-Broaddus' Katie Powell recorded the save, giving teammate India Stone the win.

Millersville has two games remaining in Salem before returning home to start conference play. Games are slated for 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. against Davis & Elkins and Glenville State tomorrow.