By Dan Curtis, '08 | Sports Editor      

Morrisville centerfielder Melissa Robb is safe at first as the throw to RIT first baseman Allison Ingalls careens off her glove during the second game of the Mustangs' home opener last Monday. The Tigers held the Mustangs’ bats in check, sweeping the doubleheader 3-1 and 8-2.

After winning its first game of the regular season, the Morrisville softball team had lost three games in a row until Tuesday afternoon when it defeated Wells College in both games of a double header.

The women added two more victories last weekend, when they defeated SUNY Purchase on the road, 11-1 and 7-1.

The Mustang offense had scored a scarce 10 runs in its first four games, and less than four runs in nine of its 10 exhibition games in Arizona.

Tuesday, the Mustangs tallied 23 runs in their 15-7 and 8-1 victories over Wells.

Morrisville’s pitching staff has done a fine job over the course of the team’s first 6 games, giving up six or fewer earned runs in each contest. Pitchers Kimberly Acker and Gretchen Cramer have provided a stable pitching duo early on in the team’s first Division III season.

 At seasons start, head coach Robin Penoyer remained optimistic about the team’s chances to succeed in its first year of Division III play if the pitchers and catchers continued to improve.

Offensively, the Mustangs lineup had not played up to par this season, until Tuesday when they recorded 25 hits in two games.

“We should break out sometime this season and show the D-III’s that we are here to play ball,” said Penoyer.  “We knew we were going to be here, and we have been preparing.  There are some teams we should beat for sure and some that we will fall to.”

The Mustangs were scheduled to play SUNY Plattsburgh last Thursday, but the game was canceled due to harsh weather conditions. The team is at SUNY Potsdam today for a doubleheader and travels to SUNY Oneonta Sunday before returning home to face Medaille College on Monday at 3 p.m.