The softball team played against stiff competition in the Chanticleer Showdown from Feb. 21-22, falling 0-2 on the first day, but bouncing back on the second day of competition to finish the tournament with a 2-2 record.

“Although we did not perform how we would have liked on Saturday, I am very happy with my team’s ability to bounce back and come out strong on Sunday and come home with those two wins,” Dana Nielsen ’16 said.

The Bison started off the weekend with a tough matchup against the home team Coastal Carolina. Jacee Almond ’17 led the offensive drive for the Orange and Blue, scoring two runs and recording two doubles at the plate. The defense was not able to stop the flood of runs from the opponent, however, and the game ended in five innings as a 3-11 loss.

Later in the day, the Orange and Blue took on a strong Boston College squad. The team recorded eight hits, led by Cydnee Sanders ’15 and Amanda Fazio ’16 who had three each, but was unable to convert hits into runs in the match, and eventually lost 8-1. The hits gave Sanders her fourth multi-hit game this season, and improved her batting average to .382, while Fazio raised her average to .421.

“I am taking the games on Saturday as an experience to show us that we all have things we need to work on individually and collectively to perfect our game,” Nielsen said.

After their two tough losses on Saturday, the Bison bounced back with a vengeance in their first match on Sunday. The team started off neck-in-neck with opponent Sacred Heart, but scored four runs in the fifth inning that led to a 9-1 win.

The scoring flurry was led by Meghan Kovac ’18 driving in three runs with her first home run of the season, and was bolstered with strong performances by Fazio and Sanders. Sanders had a double, two RBIs, and two runs scored, while Fazio was perfect at the plate, stole three bases, and pitched the entire game, including eight strikeouts and no walks. Erin Cox ’15 also contributed a leadoff home run for the Bison in the second inning.

In the last game of the day, the Bison took on Murray State in a tight battle that went 10 innings. Strong performances on the mound were the story of the game for the team, both by starter Nielsen and Fazio in relief. Nielsen allowed only three hits and no walks over more than six innings, while Fazio didn’t give up a hit in over three innings of relief. Kristen Zahn ’15 had the only home run for the Orange and Blue in the third, driving in two RBIs.

“I feel one of the biggest aspects of the game that we will work on will be our communication on the field because small errors that could have been prevented by talking and communicating before plays can be the crucial factor that decides the outcome of the game,” Nielsen said.

With their .500 performance on the weekend, the Bison improved their season record to 7-5. Competition in the UMBC Classic against Cornell and UMBC on Feb. 28 to March 1 has been cancelled, but the squad will return on March 8 with a series of games in Winter Haven, Fla.