Conway, S.C. (February 28, 2015) – The Mount St. Mary's softball team earned its first victory of the season on Saturday, beating Loyola-Chicago by a 3-2 final score on day two of the Coastal Carolina Invitational. In the second game of the day, the Mount (1-8) fell to Coastal Carolina, 7-6.

GAME ONE: Mount St. Mary's 3 – Loyola-Chicago 2

Freshman pitcher Marian Ruf (Mesa, Ariz.) navigated through the Loyola-Chicago lineup, yielding six hits and two earned runs to help lift the Mountaineers to their first victory this season, 3-2.

The Ramblers (6-7) got on the board first on Ruf's wild pitch with a runner on third in the bottom of the first. The rookie pitcher was able to work out of a jam, leaving the bases loaded in the first.

The Mountaineers bounced back in the top of the third with a three-run outburst. The Mount loaded the bases on a single from Tori Belloc (Casa Grande, Ariz.) followed by a Loyola-Chicago fielding error and a Megan Baker (Waynesboro, Pa.) walk. Freshman Niki Gonzalez (Tucson, Ariz.) delivered a two-RBI single to left field, followed by another RBI single from freshman Morgan Alisauckas (Pottsville, Pa.) to right.

Loyola-Chicago cut into the Mount's lead in the fourth with Ashely Parenti's RBI single followed by a single from Jamie O'Brien and a passed ball.

Ruf was able to limit the Ramblers to just one hit in the final three innings to pick up her first collegiate victory.

At the plate, Gonzalez, Belloc and Alisauckas recorded two hits apiece to lead the Mount, while Parenti finished 3-for-3 for Loyola-Chicago.

GAME TWO: Coastal Carolina 7 – Mount St. Mary's 6

Mount St. Mary's took a 6-5 advantage in the top of the seventh inning, but Coastal Carolina rallied for two runs in the bottom of the frame, earning the 7-6 victory on a walk off squeeze play. Alisauckas finished 2-for-4 from the dish including her second home run of the season and picked up a game-high four RBIs for the Mount.  

Coastal Carolina scored the first three runs of the game with two in the first inning and one in the second.

The Mount was able to get all three runs back in the third beginning with a bases loaded walk by Rachel Teti (Mount Airy, Md.) followed by Alisauckas' two-RBI double to right field. The next inning, Belloc added an RBI double following a walk and steal from Baker for a 4-3 Mount lead.

The Chanticleers retook the lead with a home run in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

With one out in the top of the seventh, Alisauckas again came up with a big hit, knocking a two-run shot over the left field fence for a 6-5 Mount St. Mary's lead.

Back-to-back doubles from Coastal knotted the score at 6-6 in the seventh. The home side then put runners on second and third before Sara Rasley's bunt single scored Morgan Noad from third for the walk-off victory.  

Mount St. Mary's will wrap up the Coastal Carolina Invitational with games tomorrow versus Saint Joseph's and Coastal Carolina.