KISSIMMEE, Fla. (March 14, 2023) – After seeing their opening games get pushed from Monday to Tuesday, the Loras College softball team started 2-0 at THE Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla. to get their week off and running on a positive note.

The Duhawks (4-2) played a pair of well-contested games on Tuesday as they took down the University of New England 5-0 in game one before outdueling Wheaton College (Mass.) 5-3 in extra innings in their second game.

In game one, the Duhawks jumped on the Nor'easters with all five of their runs coming in the first three innings. Four hits, including RBI knocks from senior Grace Houghton and junior Alyssa Hughes, plated two runs in the first inning before they added another in the second inning on a throwing error.

Using only one hit, the Duhawks managed two more runs in the third inning as the run-scoring plays included RBIs on a groundout and a fielder's choice. Those five early runs were more than enough for the Duhawk pitching staff as sophomore Ashlyn Hemm and freshman Laurissa Klapatauskas combined to allow just four UNE hits.

Hemm tossed the first four innings and allowed only one hit while striking out 10 hitters to earn the win. Klapatauskas finished it off by striking out two in her three innings of work.

Game two against the Wheaton Lyons was all about the pitching as well as the first runs of the game didn't come until the fourth. In the top half, Houghton launched her second home run of the season to give Loras a 1-0 lead as the Duhawks went on to load the bases in the inning, but only managed that one run.

Wheaton responded in the bottom half with one run that was aided by a pair of Duhawk errors, and the score remained tied at 1-1 through regulation.

In the eighth inning, Loras took advantage of two errors from the Lyons and tallied three hits of their own to plate four runs in the frame and jump out to a 5-1 lead. Jadyn Anderson notched the big hit in the middle of the inning as she laced a two-RBI double to plate Houghton and senior Abby Jones.

The Lyons made things interesting as they managed a pair of runs with four hits of their own, but a pop out ended the threat and gave the Duhawks a sweep on day one in Florida.

Freshman Rachel Peat more than earned the win in the second game as she outdueled Wheaton's Sofia Knopf while both went the distance. Peat is now 2-0 after three appearances after going 8.0 innings on Saturday while allowing just one earned run and zero walks.

Loras' postponed games from Monday are now scheduled for Wednesday, March 15, starting at 9 A.M. ET versus Farmingdale State College. The Duhawks then face Amherst College at 11:30 A.M. ET.