HOUGHTON, N.Y. -- Houghton softball registered its first two wins of the season, taking down Pitt-Bradford at home, 5-1 and 7-6, on Friday.

Game one featured a strong performance by starting pitcher Kayla Loomis, while the nightcap was highlighted by a comeback and walkoff single. The win for Loomis was No. 21 for her career, moving her past Kaylee Jentsch for the top spot in Houghton history.

GAME 1
Loomis was on from the start for the Highlanders, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out five Panther batters. She got help offensively from her teammates. Though the first two innings went scoreless, the Highlanders broke it open with a run in the third on a Carlee Miller RBI single that drove in Jennifer Page, and then tacked on four more runs in the fourth. Highlighting the inning was a leadoff triple by freshman Danielle Nelson. Two wild pitches and two walks put another run across and put runners in scoring position. After a Panthers pitching change, Houghton scored twice more thanks to a Page single and two more walks, before Chyanne Bushyhead drove in Hannah Chorey for the final run of the inning to make it 5-0.

The Panthers scored their lone run in the sixth to close the scoring.

Four Highlanders registered two hits apiece (Miller, Peterson, Page, Bushyhead). Miller finished with two RBI, while Page scored twice.

GAME 2
The Highlanders jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first, with Lydia Peterson leading off with a double, advancing to third on a wild pitch, and scoring on an error that put Hannah Chorey at first. After a Miller strikeout and an Elise Swanson walk, Bushyhead doubled home Chorey.

Two doubles in the top of the second pulled the Panthers to within a run, but the visitor bats really came alive in the top of third. Pitt-Brad chased Loomis with a single and back-to-back homers over the left field fence. Alisabeth Crandall came on in relief to retire the last two batters of the inning. The Panthers tacked on an insurance run with three singles and a sac fly to go up 5-2 in the top of the fourth and scored once more in the fifth to put the hosts in a four-run hole.

But the Houghton batters did not wilt and started to rally in the bottom of the sixth. The Highlanders scored four times in the inning to tie the score at six. They scored four runs on three hits and two walks. Keller (single), Nelson (double) and Page (single) each drove in runs, with the final run coming via fielding error.

Crandall walked the first batter in both the sixth and seventh innings, but retired the rest to give Houghton life heading into the bottom half of the seventh. Scharf flied out to right to start the frame, before Page reached on an error and advanced to second to put a runner in scoring position. Another out brought up left fielder Hannah Chorey, who calmly laced a two-out single to center to bring in Page and bring the rest of the Highlanders out of the dugout to celebrate the walkoff win.

Loomis allowed four runs on six hits in 2.1 innings pitched. Crandall got the win, going 4.2 innings and allowing two runs on five hits.

At the plate, Peterson and Kristin Keller each had two hits. Page scored two runs, while Chorey, Page, Nelson and Bushyhead had an RBI apiece.

Houghton returns to action to face Oswego on the road Tuesday, March 28 for a doubleheader at 3 and 5 p.m.