Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Malone University softball team (6-4) dropped both games in its home-opening doubleheader versus Urbana University (9-0) on Friday afternoon, falling 7-3 in game one and 8-0 in the finale.

Urbana's Heather Martin opened the scoring in game one with a towering solo shot to straight away center field in the top of the second inning. The Blue Knights tacked on another in the third thanks to a double from Heather Hakola before pushing across two more in the fourth and fifth innings.

Malone cut the lead in half in the next ensuing innings. Freshman Marionna Cane got the Pioneers on the board in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double. Malone would add two more in the bottom of the sixth to move within 6-3 behind a sacrifice fly from freshman Carly Holcomb and a run scoring single from Amy Donze.

However, Urbana halted the comeback bid with a run in the top of the seventh before shutting the door in Malone's last at-bats.

Senior Shelby Snyder took the loss pitching all seven innings, giving up seven earned runs on 14 hits. Cane led Malone at the plate, collecting two of its seven hits.

Urbana carried over its hot bats into game two. The Blue Knights took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Morgan Hauer drove in two with a double. They would add two more in the second, one in the fifth, two in the sixth and another in the seventh.

Malone threatened at the plate, putting their leadoff hitter on base in four consecutive innings, but the hosts were unable to find any run-producing hits as Urbana's Lauren Anderson and Cortney Moore teamed up to record a five-hit shutout. Freshman Emily Isla and Donze each had a double for Malone. Donze took the loss going all seven innings, while surrendering eight runs, six earned, on 10 hits.