CLERMONT, Fla. – The Ursinus College softball team started the 2016 season with a pair of losses in Florida, dropping an 11-3 decision to Ohio Northern in the morning match-up before a 4-2 setback at the hands of Elizabethtown.

Sophomore pitcher Kaitlyn Willis worked out of a first-inning jam in the opener, with a big assist from her rookie battery mate. After Jenna Hollar led off the bottom of the frame with an infield single, Alexa DelMonte gunned her down trying to steal second. That proved critical when the next two batters reached base, one on a single and the other on a walk, with an error allowing the leadoff runner to reach third with only one out. But Willis bore down and induced a shallow fly to center and a grounder to first to escape the jam unscathed.

Ohio Northern (9-4) batted around in the second, when a leadoff double, an error, and a base hit to left center –all with no outs – brought in the game's first run. The Polar Bears plated three more in the frame, two of them on a single by Kylie Ausmus (3-for-4, 3 RBI), to take a 4-0 lead.

Ursinus answered in the next inning on senior Zoe Heinke's two-out RBI single, which followed the first collegiate hit by freshman Sammi Donato.

The Polar Bears roared back with a five-run fourth, but Ursinus stayed alive with two in the top of the fifth; freshman Samantha Garritano's first career hit brought in the first, and Heinke scored freshman Kayla Quinn with a grounder to cut the deficit to 9-3.

The score stayed there until the bottom of the sixth, when Gia Saturday (3-for-4, 4 RBI) walked it off for Ohio Northern with a two-run homer. Kirsten Lightel (6-1), who came in with a 1.40 ERA, struck out three and gave up one run over four strong innings for the Polar Bears, who knocked off No. 11 Alma last week.

Heinke finished 2-for-3 and drove in two runs in the season opener, while Garritano, Donato, and DelMonte all secured their first collegiate hits. Quinn walked twice for the Bears, coming around to score both times. Ursinus started seven freshmen, a list that also included Sarah Snider Leonhauser (DP), Gabrielle Manto (LF), and Callie Crouse (1B) in addition to Garritano (CF), Donato (RF), DelMonte (C), and Quinn (SS).

Heinke took the ball in the "nightcap" against Elizabethtown and acquitted herself well, going the distance and allowing only two earned runs on eight hits with a pair of strikeouts.

A first-inning error paved the way for the Blue Jays (6-4) to jump out to an early 2-0 lead, and Elizabethtown stretched the advantage to 4-0 with single runs in the second and third frames before Ursinus made its move.

Garritano took advantage of an error and a passed ball with a two-out, two-run triple to right in the bottom of the fifth, slicing the deficit in half with one swing of the bat. The Bears started the sixth with a single from Crouse and walk to DelMonte, but a groundout and a double play left them stranded, and they went down in order in the seventh.

Garritano was 2-for-3 with her first three-bagger to lead the Ursinus offense, while Donato added two hits of her own and scored a run. Crouse went 1-for-2 with her first hit and a walk, and DelMonte walked all three times she came to the plate.

Kristin Blass and Emma Varrato each went 3-for-4 at the dish, and Ashley Hullihan surrendered only the two unearned runs over five innings to improve to 3-0.

The softball team is right back at it on Sunday with night games against Thiel (5:00) and Austin (7:00) in Clermont.