COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Beth Everist (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) smacked her first collegiate home run and drove in four runs to lead Mount St. Mary's past Howard 10-2 in the Maryland Softball College Park Invitational on Friday. The Mount then lost 11-2 to Fordham in the nightcap.

Everist went 2-for-4 with a career-high four RBIs against the Bison. The sophomore plated a run in the fifth and then ended the game with a three-run home run in the sixth to give the Mount the eight-run advantage. Everist recorded a hit and an RBI in the loss to the Rams.

Amanda Burk (Bristow, Va./Stonewall Jackson) had four hits with two RBIs in the two games for the Mountaineers (2-10), including a 3-for-3 performance with one RBI against Howard. Taylor Beebe (Olympia, Wash./Capital) added three hits and three runs scored on the day and Nicole Reeder (Glen Burnie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) had two hits, two RBIs and a run scored against the Bison.

In the opener, Howard grabbed the advantage twice and each time the Mount answered including scoring nine-straight runs to take the first-ever meeting between the two programs, 10-2.

After the Bison took a 2-1 advantage, Mount St. Mary's scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-2 advantage.

The rally started when Taylor Beebe (Olympia, Wash./Capital) reached on an error with one out and Lisa Curreri (Clinton, N.J./North Hunterdon) singled through the left side before Burk plated Beebe on an RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 2. Liz Christiansen (Etters, Pa./Red Land) reached on a fielder's choice to bring home Curreri to give the Mount the lead for good, 3-2. After Reeder singled, Everist plated Christiansen on a base hit to center field and Ashley Lodato (Brick, N.J./Ranney) capped the four-run outburst with a double to right center to score pinch runner Chloe Mizianty (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad) to give the Mountaineers a 5-2 lead.

Mount St. Mary's ended the game after six innings with five runs in the stanza. Beebe singled to left before Burk and Christiansen walked to load the bases. Reeder scored Beebe and Burk on a two-run single before Everist ended the game with a three-run homer for her first collegiate round tripper.

Howard (6-13) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Courtney Young sacrifice fly. The Mount responded right back in the bottom of the inning with a run to tie the contest at 1 after Curreri walked and touched home on an error.

The Bison grabbed the margin again in the fifth. Rebecca Kirshner reached on an infield single and scored on a Morgan Plowden run-scoring single to right field for a 2-1 margin. Mount St. Mary's then scored the final nine runs of the afternoon to pick up its second win of the year.

Jamie Fowler (Hagerstown, Md./South Hagerstown) allowed two runs on five hits with one strikeout for her second win of 2009. The senior has 26 career wins and needs one to move into third-place on the program's all-time win list.

Fordham opened the Mountaineers' second game by scoring the first eight runs of the contest and never looked back for an 11-2 win against Mount St. Mary's.

The Rams (11-8) opened the game with six runs in the bottom of the first. Lindsey Kay Bright, Samantha Pellechio, Beckah Wiggins and Meghan Shager each knocked in a run before Melissa Andrews capped the stanza with a two-run single for a 6-0 margin.

Pellechio added two runs in the second thanks to a Pellechio double to left center that plated two runs.

The Mount got on the scoreboard in the third with two runs to trim the margin to 8-2. Beebe started the rally with a double to right before and Curreri walked before Burk double down the left field line to bring home Beebe. Everist then plated Curreri on an RBI single up the middle.

Fordham posted three runs in the third when Shager scored on a wild pitch and Pellechio capped her five RBI performance with a two-run single to left field.

Pellechio fueled the Rams with a 3-for-3 performance with five RBIs and a run scored while Andrews went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Mount St. Mary's returns to action on Saturday in the second day of the Maryland College Park Invitational. The Mount faces Seton Hall (5 p.m.) and Delaware (7 p.m.)