CLERMONT, Fla. --- The Elizabethtown College softball team opened its 2010 season Sunday with a pair of games at the National Training Center Spring Games, defeating Pitt-Bradford 13-1 in five innings in game one before falling 6-3 to Lesley University in their second game.
Against Pitt-Bradford, the Blue Jays slugged four home runs and Julie Sebastian allowed five hits and struck out six to lead Elizabethtown to the victory.
Heather Peluso went 2-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs, while Sarah Church and Elly McCarthy added homers and Paige Tanner became the 12th player in program history to reach 100 career hits with a 2-for-4 performance, part of a 17-hit attack from Elizabethtown.
The Blue Jays batted around and scored five runs in the top of the first inning against Panther starter Jillian Kreitzer (0-1). Courtney Comstock led off with a double, and scored one out later as Tanner doubled for her 100th career hit. Sebastian followed with another double to drive home Tanner for a 2-0 Blue Jay lead, and Church and Peluso hit back-to-back home runs to push Elizabethtown ahead 5-0.
Peluso added a solo home run in the third off Pitt-Bradford reliever Sarah Angeletti as part of a six-run inning that gave the Blue Jays a 12-0 lead, and McCarthy tacked on a solo blast in her first collegiate game as Elizabethtown led 13-0 after 3 1/2 innings. The Panthers scored their lone run in the bottom of the fourth as Erin Fieldhouse hit a solo home run off Sebastian.
Comstock finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored for the Blue Jays, while Church went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs for Elizabethtown. Jamie Winzeler was the lone Panther with more than one hit as she finished 2-for-2 for Pitt-Bradford.
Against Lesley, the Blue Jays jumped to a 1-0 lead in the second inning as Church led off with a single, stole second and scored on a groundout by Caroline Schuster. The Lynx tied the game in the top of the third on an RBI single by Jodi Fralick, and went ahead 4-1 in the fourth on a two-run double by Jenna Fralick and an error.
Elizabethtown answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth as Church again led off with a single and stole second, and scored on a two-out wild pitch to cut the Lesley lead to 4-2.
The Lynx pushed across a run in the top of the sixth on an infield single by Emily Mangiaratti to take a 5-2 lead, but the Blue Jays came back in the bottom of the frame as Tanner walked, moved up on a sacrifice and a groundout and scored on a single by Lindsey Cooper to bring the Blue Jays within 5-3.
Lesley tacked on another insurance run in the top of the seventh on a two-out error, and winning pitcher Cassandra Knox shut the door in the bottom of the seventh to give the Lynx the win.
Knox (1-0) allowed seven hits and three earned runs while issuing a pair of walks for Lesley, while Emily Vogel surrendered six runs (one earned) on seven hits with four strikeouts and three walks.
Church led the Blue Jays by going 2-for-2 with a sacrifice, two stolen bases and two runs scored, while Shannon Marsico finished 2-for-3 and Comstock went 2-for-4 with a double. Jodi Fralick paced Lesley by going 3-for-4 with a run scored.