ORLANDO-The La Salle women's softball team split a pair of games on day two of the UCF Tournament. The Explorers grabbed a 5-0 win over Middle Tennessee State before falling to LIU Brooklyn, 9-5, later in the day.
 
La Salle's offense jumped out early in game one, grabbing a pair of runs in the top of the first to take an early 2-0 lead over Middle Tennessee State. Sophomore Valerie Pineiro came up with the bases loaded in the first and singled through the right side the bring home senior Kendra Heyer and junior Mackenzie Obert who had reached on a fielder's choice.
 
The Explorers added three more in the fifth to extend the lead to 5-0. Pineiro again knocked home Heyer who had reached on a walk to make it 3-0. Freshman Emma Schweigert reached on a fielder's choice and brought home Obert to add the fourth run. The final run of the inning came when junior Lindsey Gaines doubled to right field to bring home Schweigert.
 
Senior Mary Cate Scott threw a complete game shutout, allowing just five hits with no walks in her seven innings of work. Scott improves to 1-1 on the year and recorded one strikeout in the outing.
 
The Explorers didn't allow a Middle Tennessee to advance a runner past second base all game. La Salle's offense meanwhile exploded for nine hits. Junior Christina Bascara (2-4) and Pineiro (3-4) both recorded multiple hits on the day. Heyer meanwhile reached base three of her four plate appearances thanks to a pair of walks and one hit.
 
La Salle against jumped out to an early lead in game two, but it wasn't enough as LIU Brooklyn grabbed multiple runs in three separate innings to grab the 9-5 victory.
 
The Explorers started off the scoring in the bottom of the first when junior Michelle Hagarty hit a leadoff homer to left field. It was the first homer on the year for La Salle.
 
The Blackbirds struck back equalizing with a run in the top of the second before grabbing a pair of runs in the fourth and three runs in the fifth to take a 6-1 lead.
 
La Salle answered right back with three runs of its own in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 6-4. Obert and Pineiro hit back-to-back doubles with Pineiro's plating both Obert and sophomore Angelenia Refice who had led off the inning with a single. Pineiro later scored when junior Lindsey Gaines singled to shortstop.
 
The Explorers further cut the lead in the bottom of the sixth with a single run to make it just a 6-5 LIU Brooklyn advantage. Pineiro came up with the bases loaded and only one out and was able to bring home Refice who had reached on a bunt single. The Blackbirds would answer back with three runs in the seventh and La Salle was ultimately unable to complete the comeback.
 
La Salle finished with ten hits in game two coming from seven different players. Obert, Refice and junior Tori Gollie all had two hits in the second half of the doubleheader.
 
La Salle rounds out the tournament as they take on South Dakota tomorrow at 10 a.m.