Clermont, Fla.- The Georgian Court University softball team snapped its season-opening six-game losing streak in Game One of the NTC Games on Wednesday with a 5-4 triumph over Assumption College before falling to Dowling College, 7-5, in the nightcap.

GAME ONE

In the opener, Assumption grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when LF Melissa Jalbert (Sr.-Gardner, Mass.) drilled a solo home run to left field. After a scoreless second frame, the Lions answered with a five-spot in the top of the third, which included a two-run double off the bat of  RF Ashlynn Thompson and a triple from LF Alyssa Paradiso.

That would prove to be all of the scoring GCU (1-6) would need, evening after permitting a pair of runs in in the third inning and another in the fifth to the Greyhounds (1-6).

Kristina Morgan (1-3) earned the first victory of the campaign for the Georgian Court pitching staff (5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) while Senna Francesconi was credited with a save after two innings of scorless relief (2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K).

Assumption's Jenn Lattal (Jr.-Windsor, Conn.) fell to 1-4 with the loss (7.0 IP, 12 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 7 K).

DP #Adriana Cortez (2-for-4), CF Dara Schroeder (2-for-3) and Paradiso (2-for-4) enjoyed multi-hit efforts in the GCU win.

GAME TWO

Familiar foe Dowling College jumped out to a first-inning, 3-0 lead on two hits and three Georgian Court errors. The Lions countered with two of  runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning after 2B Justine Mattia's first home run of the season and a RBI single from 1B Emma Erbig.

The Golden Lions (7-1) would proceed to score runs in each of the next three innings to take a 7-2 advantage after three-and-a-half innings of play. The score would not change until Georgian Court (1-7) brought in three runs in the bottom of the seventh, which ended up being to no avail.

Kaitlin Ellingsworth (Sr.-Temple City, Ca.) earned the win for Dowling (6.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) while Erika Nogan (Jr.-Seaford, N.Y.) accomplished a one-out save for the Golden Lions.  

Illiana Teran took the loss in the start for GCU (1.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 3 K).

Cortez (2-for-3, RBI) and Schroeder (2-for-4) again provided multi-hit games while Erbig (2-for-3) drove in two with a run scored.

The Lions get back at it Friday with games vs. #15 West Virginia Wesleyan (9:00 a.m.) and the University of Mary (11:00 a.m.).