Clearwater, Fla (February 28, 2014) – The Mount St. Mary's softball team split a pair of games on the opening day of the USF Under Armour Invitational on Friday. In the opener, the Mount lost to Western Michigan, 2-1, before bouncing back with a 12-11 extra-inning victory over Toledo in the second game.

On the day, Mount pitcher Nicole Pagano won her third game of the season, and freshman Rachel Heinze made the most of her first career home run with a grand slam in the Mount's win over Toledo.

The Mount is now 4-4 on the season with three games remaining in the USF Under Armour Invitational.

WESTERN MICHIGAN 2 – MOUNT ST. MARY'S 1
Pagano gave up just two runs on three hits while striking out eight batters, but it was not enough in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Western Michigan. In a classic pitching duel, Western Michigan's Allyson Kus scattered six hits and allowed one run in a complete game.

The Broncos scored both of their runs on a Mount St. Mary's fielding error in the bottom of the fifth for a 2-0 lead. The Mount was able to get one run back in the top of the sixth on Rachel Teti's RBI single to score Rachel Gavigan from third base.

The Mount had a chance to even the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh, but stranded a runner at second base as the game ended.

MOUNT ST. MARY'S 12 – TOLEDO 11 (9 INNINGS)
The Mount dug itself what looked like an insurmountable deficit of 11-0 through 4.5 innings in the second game of the day versus Toledo. It was not until the bottom of the fifth that the Mount came to life with 10 runs to chop the Rockets' lead down to just one run.

After loading the bases, the Mount picked up its first run on Lindsay Ruhle's walk to plate Katie Bobbit. Teti and Casey Beck followed with back-to-back RBI singles, and Holly Buckel was hit by a pitch to force in the Mount's third run of the inning.  With the bases still full, Heinze cranked her first career home run to get the Mount back in the game.

Loading the bases again later in the inning, Megan Baker worked a walk to force home the Mount's ninth run, and Gavigan trotted home on a wild pitch for the 10th run.

In the home half of the sixth, the Mount was able to tie the game at 11-11 on Gavigan's RBI double, plating Buckel who led off with a walk.

Neither team scored in the seventh, forcing the Mount to play its second extra-inning game of the season. In the bottom of the ninth, Baker recorded an RBI groundout to the pitcher to score Heinze from third to give the Mount the hard-fought 12-11 victory.

Pagano hurled four innings of shutout ball to earn the win for the Mount, which survived six errors in the field.

The Mount takes on Oakland and Florida Atlantic tomorrow as part of the USF Under Armour Invitational.