FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Kenyon Ladies softball team played in a pair of run-rule games on Sunday as they opened their spring break trip to the Sunshine State. Kenyon rolled in their opener against Rivier University 10-2 before suffering a loss by the same count to Elms College.
 
GAME ONE
 
Austen Whibley earned her first win of the young season as she turned in a solid outing in the circle while the Kenyon offense cranked out 17 hits.
 
The sophomore tossed five innings, allowed five hits, two runs and struck out a half-dozen. She also helped the Ladies get out of a few jams.
 
Offensively, Madi Maldonado, Amanda Coyle and Amanda Ogata each had three hits and combined to drive in six runs. Three other Kenyon players had multiple hits as well.
 
After a scoreless first, the Ladies tallied a trio of runs in the second. The scoring started on a Nicole Horita single to right center allowing Allison Stratman to come home. In the next at-bat, Coyle's bunt down the third-base line brought in Keely Sweet and Maldonado capped off the scoring with a sacrifice fly to left field.
 
Kenyon added two runs in the fourth before Rivier got on the board. Shaylyn Freitas smacked a two-out, two-run double bringing the count to 5-2 in the fifth. In the next at-bat, Kenyon allowed a single to Jessica Cote, but a throw to home plate from Coyle, the Ladies' centerfielder, resulted in a tag-out of Cali Swormstedt.
 
The Ladies then put the game away in the home half of the fifth. Ogata roped a bases-clearing double and later stole home for the final run.
 
GAME TWO
 
Heading to the bottom of the third, Kenyon and Elms couldn't get much going as there were just three hits.
 
A scoreless tie was broken by Britny Patterson in the home half of the third though. After back-to-back hits from Maldonado and Ogata, Patterson grounded out to third base which brought Maldonado home.
 
Down 1-0, Elms found the tying run in the fourth. Cote doubled to start the frame and two batters later, Elizabeth Olszewski singled up the middle bringing the tying run home.
 
An inning later, the wheels fell off for the Ladies.
 
The first two batters walked and later got to scoring position on a passed ball. After a Kenyon pitching change, another walk was issued and Katelyn Silvia made the Ladies pay. A two-run single through the left side pushed the count to 3-1 Elms. A bases loaded walk followed and then another two-run shot - this time from Hannah Adams - moved the Blazers up 6-1. The final two runs of the frame by Elms came after some confusion from the home-plate umpire on an apparent foul ball at first base which trickled into the outfield.
 
Kenyon added a run in the bottom of the fifth on a Lauren Graf fielder's choice RBI. But that was the only run the Ladies got the rest of the way as the Blazers invoked the run rule in the sixth after tallying two more runs.
 
Ogata was the only Kenyon player to tally multiple hits in game two while freshman pitcher Keely Sweet took the loss going 4.2 innings and striking out a season-high nine batters.
 
Next up for the Ladies are two games tomorrow in Naples, Florida. They'll take on Dominican University (Ill.) at 11 a.m. and University of Pittsburgh at Bradford at 1 p.m.