Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Salem, Va. – With Spring Break officially underway the Millersville softball team traveled to Salem, Va., to play six games over the weekend. On the first day of the tournament Millersville split its games, defeating Bluefield State and later falling to Shepherd University to move to 6-2 on the season.

Millersville topped Bluefield State 5-4 and used the long ball to claim a victory. Gabbie Berry and Jamie Motsko each blasted solo shots over the center field fence to score the Marauders' final two runs of the game. Freshman pitcher Amanda Wink grabbed her first collegiate win as she pitched all seven innings, struck out seven, and allowed three earned runs on seven hits.

Bluefield received six strong innings from pitcher Kristen Hutchinson. The freshman allowed seven hits, one walk, and four earned runs. She delivered from the plate as well going 2-for-4 with a triple and one run.

In the first inning, Bluefield found itself with the bases loaded and no outs. Two strikeouts by Wink and a grounder to third limited the damage to only two runs in the top half of the first.

Millersville answered in the bottom of the second. RBIs by Stephanie Kulp and Ginely Ortiz-Marrero helped the Black and Gold score three runs to take a 3-2 lead after two innings.

The lead would not last long as Bluefield scored two in the top half of the third on a two run single by Allyson Hatfield. Wink struckout Leandra Childs to end the inning and did not allow another run to the Blues throughout the rest of the game.

Bluefield State didn't hold the lead long. Berry led off for the Marauders in the bottom of the third and homered to center to tie the game at four runs apiece. It was the sophomore's first dinger of the season and fourth of her career.

Wink was lights out in the fourth, striking out the side to complete a streak of four consecutive strike outs.

After two scoreless innings the Marauders were able to score the go ahead run in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Motsko came to the plate with one out and copied Berry's fourth inning shot. The redshirt junior lifted the ball over the center field wall  to capture her first homer of the year. It was only Motsko's second career blast and lifted Millersville to a 5-4 lead with only one inning remaining.

Wink forced the Blues into two groundballs and a strike out in the top of the seventh to complete the 5-4 win for the Marauders.

In the second game Millersville had a tougher time connecting with the ball and a few key errors helped Shepherd come away with a 6-1 win. Rams' pitcher Shannon Lyons pitched all seven innings and only surrendered six hits and one earned run against the Marauders. Sarah Bertoni was on the mound for Millersville, giving up just two earned runs while suffering her first loss of the season.

Shepherd scored all of its runs in two innings. The Rams got out to an early 2-0 lead after the first inning and plated four in the bottom half of the third to take a six run advantage after three innings.
 
Berry provided a spark for the Marauders in the sixth inning as she lead off with a double to left field. After advancing to third on a passed ball, she would then be sent home on a sacrifice fly by Nance. Lyons was able to squander the momentum and kept Millersville off the board for the rest of the game.

 The loss snapped a five game winning streak by the Marauders. It was the Marauders longest streak since the 2010 season when the team won six straight.
 
Millersville returns to action tomorrow to take on a trio of opponents in the second day of the Salem Tournament. The Marauders play West Virginia Wesleyan at 9 a.m., Salem International at 3 p.m., and Bluefield State again at 5 p.m. Follow @MauraderNews on Twitter to receive up to the minute results of the all the games this weekend.