CLERMONT, Fla. -- Houghton softball headed south for their 2020 debut in Florida. The comeback runs were not enough for the Highlanders as they dropped both games of the double header on opening day.

Game 1
Lebanon Valley College 5, Houghton 3

Game 1 was a tight battle the whole way through. The Dutchman started off with one run in the opening inning and brought in two in the third. The Dutchman had the lead until the Highlanders made a push to tie it up at 3-3 in the bottom of the 5^th inning. Grace Thompson batted in two runs with a double towards left field to open up the scoring for Houghton. Thompson went on to score a run of her own to even the score. Unfortunately, the fifth inning push was not enough to take down the Dutchman. In the subsequent inning LVC would score two more runs of their own to notch the score at 5-3. This would be a deficit the Highlander's would be unable to overcome, despite getting multiple runners on base in the final two innings.


Game 1 Notes

• Katie Jones had two hits while Hannah Haskell, Grace Thompson, Caitlyn Cybart, Mariah Rogers and Hannah Cybart all added a hit of their own.
• Grace Thompson 2 RBI's and Barbara Richert 1 RBI.
• McKenzie Marti, Haskell and Jones each stole a base.
• Freshman pitcher, Kayla Loomis, debuted on the mound for Houghton allowing 5 runs on 10 hits and adding a strike out.  

Game 2
St. Joseph 9, Houghton 5

Game 2 was another close match-up but the Highlanders came up short, 9-5. Both teams had 11 hits in the game however, the Monks turned a few more of those into scoring plays.

Starting with a Haskell hit, Houghton brought two home in the top of the first inning to jump to an early 2-0 lead. That lead did not last long as the Monks tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the first and continued their hitting streak into the bottom of the second inning to make it 2-6, in favor of the Monks. Houghton used the top of the third to put themselves back in striking distance. Following a rough start to the inning, with two outs from the first two batters, hits from Thompson, C. Cybart, Kristin Keller and H. Cybart helped bring two runners over home plate. Thompson's single in the top of the fourth and the execution in the field with three quick outs for the Highlanders brought them within one run, 5-6 to end the third inning. For the remainder of the game Houghton would be held scoreless and ultimately fell to the Monks by a score of 5-9.

Game 2 Notes

• The Highlanders had eleven hits in the contest
• Seven Highlanders had at least a hit in the game (Marti, Haskell, Thompson, C. Cybart, Keller, H. Cybart & Lauren Couturier)
• Freshman, Grace Edwards, debuted on the mound for Houghton

Coach's Corner
"It was a good first day in Florida. We competed well and battled back in both games. I'm proud of our team and how they don't give up. We had some great performances today, but a lot that can be improved on tomorrow!" -Katie Sinclair, Head Coach

Next Game
Highlander fans do not have to wait long as Houghton will be back in action in less the twenty-four hours. Continuing their campaign in Clermont, they battle Rosemont at 10 a.m. while ending their day with a 12:15 p.m. game against Eastern University.