Game 1 Box Score  | Game 2 Box Score

Millersville, Pa. – The Millersville softball team opened the season with a series split with Chowan at the Millersville Softball Field Friday. The Marauders took game one 3-2 then fell 7-6 in game two to the Hawks.

Chowan (5-11) opened up the scoring in game one when the leadoff batter crossed the plate on a fielder's choice play to get the force out at second base. The Hawks took a 1 -0 lead with two outs in the top of the first.

Millersville (1-1) finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning when Alicia Hughes hit a single to right field to drive home Emily Sneeringer from second base, tying the game at 1-1. The throw home advanced Danielle DiFilippo, who was on first, to third base and Hughes to second.

Chowan's catcher Liz Hipple made a poor throw back to pitcher Alora Lincoln with Taylor Odell-Smith at the plate forcing the ball to dribble between the mound and second base. The error sent DiFilippo home to give the Marauders a 2-1 lead, but Hughes was picked off trying to advance to third by Megan Wade. Odell-Smith grounded out to end the inning.

The Hawks knotted the game at 2-2 after Hipple scored from third on an illegal pitch by Hughes. Hipple got to third after doubling and advancing on a ground out for the second out in the inning. Freshman Stephanie Kulp (1-0) came in to replace Hughes after five and two-thirds of an inning of work.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, runners at the corners and just one out, the Marauders had a chance to win the game with freshman catcher Gabbie Berry stepping up to the plate. Berry drilled a grounder to the shortstop who bobbled the ball, scoring Odell-Smith from third for the game-winning RBI. Millersville's Kulp was awarded her first win of the season, while Chowan's Lincoln suffered the 3-2 loss.

The second game heated up in the third inning when Chowan opened the top of the third with three-straight bunt singles to load the bases with no outs. Freshman pitcher Sarah Bertoni forced the next batter to ground out to shortstop Wendy Wolff for the first out in exchange for a run to give the Hawks an early 1-0 advantage. A walk and two singles later Chowan pushed its lead to 4-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning.

Bertoni led of the bottom half of the inning with a single after giving up four runs. Four batters later, Berry reached on a throwing error by the shortstop to advance Bertoni to third and Ally Homa, who singled before, to second base. On the attempt to throw Homa out at second, Bertoni took off for home to give Millersville its first run of game two. Homa later scored from third on a wild pitch to bring the Marauders within two runs, down 4-2.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Bertoni doubled to the right-center field gap to give Millersville runners on second and third. Erika Bowman came in to pinch run for Alexandra Hoops on third and then scored on an ensuing wild pitch by Allie Kolezynski to make it a 4-3 Chowan lead. Bertoni crossed the plate for a second time to tie the game at 4-4 on a ground out by Alexa Casner, who was pinch hitting for Allison Chew. Two more runs crossed the plate for Millersville before the inning was retired to give the Marauders a 6-4 lead.

Chowan tied the game in the fifth inning at 6-6 and was threatening in the top of the sixth to take the lead. Freshman Ashley Cantiello (0-1) came in relief with a runner on first base and no outs. The Hawks' Alex Allen doubled to left field.  Megan Bass tried scoring from first base but was thrown out by Chew from left field at the plate to keep the game tied at 6-6. Allen, who reached third base on the throw to home, scored on a wild pitch by Cantiello to give Chowan a 7-6 lead.

The Hawks' Lincoln--game one starter--came in for relief in the last two innings and shut down the Marauders to get the series split. Lincoln finished with 1-1 record on the day.

Millersville travels to Shepherd on Wednesday, March 7 to take on the Rams in a double header that begins at 2:30 p.m.