Softball wins season opener in Florida

Erin DuRoss playing softball.
Photo by Jim Dostie

CLERMONT, Fla. - The Kalamazoo College softball team won its season opener 3-2 over Western Connecticut State on Thursday.

Kalamazoo threatened in the top of the first but was unable to score. The Colonials (5-6)pushed a run across in the bottom half to go up 1-0.

Kalamazoo evened the score in the third inning and pulled ahead 3-1 in the fourth.

Western Connecticut homered in the bottom of the seventh to make it 3-2, but Erin DuRoss did not allow another base runner to secure the complete game win.

DuRoss scattered six hits over seven innings while walking four.

Abby Anderson was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI to lead the Hornets offensively. Angelia Evangelista was 2-for-3 with a stolen base.

Kalamazoo vs. Anderson

In Kalamazoo's second game of the day, the Hornets were defeated 11-3 by No. 22 Anderson University (8-1).

Kalamazoo had a pair of runners on base in the first, but was unable to score. Anderson scored a run in the second and used a two run home run in the third to go up 3-0.

The Hornets made it 3-1 on Erin DuRoss' squeeze bunt in the bottom of the third.

The score remained 3-1 until the top of the sixth when the Ravens scored two more runs to make it 5-1 following a controversial call that could have led to the end of the inning. Anderson took advantage of a pair of Kalamazoo errors in the seventh to take an 11-1 lead.

Kalamazoo continued to battle, however, and scored a pair of runs in the seventh highlighted by Angelia Evangelista's triple.

Anderson had 14 hits in the game while Kalamazoo had nine. Isabella Kirck, Erin DuRoss and Angelia Evangelista each had two hits. Evangelista scored twice.

Kalamazoo (1-1) returns to action Friday morning at 9 a.m. against Lawrence followed by Allegheny at 11 a.m.