MELBOURNE, Fla. -- Houghton softball is heading back north after closing its trip to Florida with two losses on Friday at the USSSA Space Coast Games.

Houghton opened the day with a 14-1 loss to Rose Hulman before ending with a 2-0 setback to Anna Maria.

In game one, Rose Hulman jumped out a 6-0 lead in the first. Houghton scored its lone run in the bottom of the first on a double steal with Danielle Nelson going to second and Kelley Burnett coming home.

The Fighting Engineers scored eight more runs over the second and third innings.

Kareena Ulfig got the loss after allowing five runs on five hits in a third of an inning. Abigail Pitts pitched 2.2 innings of relief, allowing nine runs on eight hits. Rebecca Oates pitched the final two frames and retired the side in both innings.

Burnett finished with two hits, while Nelson added the other base rap for the Highlanders.

The final game of the trip featured a great pitching battle between both teams. Houghton's starter Rebecca Oates went 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on one hit. Reliever Hannah Fish went 2.1 innings with no runs scored on two hits allowed.

The Amcats scored their runs in the third and fourth innings and got a strong performance from their two pitchers, who allowed no runs on three hits, while striking out eight Houghton batters.

Offensively, Houghton got hits from Sarah McArthur, Kelley Burnett and Abigail Pitts.