SALISBURY, Md. – Errors and impressive pitching performances by its opponents doomed the Ursinus College softball team to a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Lynchburg on Sunday, the second and final day of the Salisbury Invitational.

Sophomore Samantha Garritano drove in two of the Bears' three runs on the afternoon, both coming on a two-run triple in a 6-2 Game 2 setback. Classmate Sammi Donato's RBI single accounted for the lone run in the opener, an 11-1 loss in five innings to a strong Hornets squad that improved to 12-2 on the season.

Ursinus (4-8) committed seven errors on the day, leading to four unearned runs in each contest.

Game 1: Lynchburg 11, Ursinus 1 (5 innings)

Lynchburg put the game out of reach early with a seven-run second inning in which it sent ten batters to the plate. Helped along by an error, the Hornets went ahead 4-0 on Kayla Hugate's two-run double, and Taylor Mabry's two-run homer down the left-field line polished off an outburst that featured four unearned runs.

Sarah Commons' RBI double and an RBI single by Hugate were part of a three-run third, making it 10-0 before the Bears got on the board courtesy of Donato's run-scoring single. Lynchburg added another run in the fourth and shut out Ursinus through the fifth inning to secure an eight-run rule victory.

Donato singled, walked, and stole a base to lead the Bears' offense. Freshmen Isabelle Dewes and Renee LeClerc joined sophomore Faith Carson and Garritano with base hits, but Ursinus was unable to do much against Lynchurg's Conner English, who struck out five in four frames before handing the ball to Kirsten Copley for a 1-2-3 fifth.

Hugate was 3-for-3 with three RBI out of the leadoff spot, while Kayla St. John finished 3-for-4 and Commons added two hits, two runs, and two RBI.

Game 2: Lynchburg 6, Ursinus 2

The Hornets seized a 2-0 lead in the second inning, when a dropped pop-up with two outs allowed two runners to score.

The Bears came back in the third, when Quinn and Dewes drew back-to-back walks. Garritano brought both of them home with a triple to the gap in right center, but was tagged out on a grounder to third on the next play to keep the score tied.

Lynchburg took the lead in the bottom of the frame, again capitalizing on an Ursinus error. Mackenzie Chitwood got aboard via a Bears miscue with one out, took second on a groundout, and came around with the go-ahead run on Brittany Cof's base hit up the middle. The Hornets threatened to build upon their lead with three hits in the fifth, but LeClerc gunned down a would-be base stealer and freshman Jennifer Hammons got Cof to ground out to shortstop with runners on second and third to end the danger.

The Hornets added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth on Lauren Smith's RBI double. Hugate followed with a run-scoring triple and came all the way home on the Bears' fourth error.

Hammons pitched a solid game for the Bears, allowing just two earned runs and eight hits in another complete-game performance.

Up Next

The Bears travel to Delaware Valley for a non-conference double feature on Thursday, March 16.