FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Curry College softball team split a pair of decisions on Friday, defeating North Central (Ill.), 5-4 before dropping their Florida finale 13-8 to Crown (Minn.). Curry moves to 3-7 on the season.

GAME ONE

The Colonels jumped on the scoreboard in the top of the first when Kevi Oatway (East Hartford, Conn.) stepped up to the plate and singled to center, which drove in Marissa Bruno (Milford, Conn.) to make it a 1-0 game.

The Cardinals answered back with a run of their own in the second. With two on, Rachele Belletini (Gurnee, Ill.) connected on an RBI single to left which scored Taylor Clugston (Bloomington, Ill.).

The early scoring continued in the contest as Curry would reclaim the lead in the top of the second. Michaela Colleran (East Bridgewater, Mass.) started the frame with a single to third base. The ball was deep enough to score Jess Saluti (Braintree, Mass.) to give the Colonels a 2-1 advantage. The frame continued as Marissa Bruno (Milford, Conn.) converted on a sacrifice fly to right field to score Jordan Lizotte (Rehoboth, Mass.). Mikayla Lambert (Blackstone, Mass.) closed the inning with an RBI single to center to plate Colleran to take 4-1 lead.

North Central (Ill.) would come back and tie the contest at four in the fifth. Jenna Trojnair (Mokena, Ill.) hit a two run triple that scored Clugston and Alyssa Klemm (Batavia, Ill.) and then Belletini converted a sacrifice fly to center that plated Trojnair to make it a tied game.

The Colonels would go on to score the go ahead and eventual game winning run on an RBI single to center to score Carolyn Lynch (Ipswich, Mass.) to capture the game by a 5-4 final.

Lynch, Lambert and Colleran tallied two hits apiece to power the Curry offense. Bruno, Oatway, Saluti and Lizotte pitched in one hit each in the victory.

Lambert picked up the victory in the circle. She tossed a complete game, allowing four runs on nine hits while striking out three and walking none. Her counterpart, Jennifer Yager (Geneseo, Ill.) went seven innings, surrendering five runs on 10 hits. She struck out six and walked two in the loss.

GAME TWO

Crown started the game scoring in the bottom of the first. Moriah Sawyer reached first on an error by the Curry pitcher which allowed Cassidy Valenzuela to cross home.

The Colonels took the lead in the top of the second after Morgan Bogardus reached on an error by the Crown shortstop. The error allowed Lizotte and Talia Forte (North Scituate, R.I.)  to score. Lynch helped Curry take the lead on an RBI single to right which scored Colleran to make it a 3-2 game.

The Colonels would get one in the fourth on a single to right field by Oatway and then the teams would go on to trade four runs apiece in the fifth.

Crown pulled away in the sixth, putting up seven runs to grab a 13-8 victory.

Bruno and Lizotte paced Curry with three hits apiece. Four others pitched in two each in the loss.

Lis King was credited with the victory in the circle while the loss went to McKenna Barlow.

Curry opens their 2017 home slate of games on Tuesday as they are set to host Wheelock at 3:00 and 5:00 p.m., respectively.