It was a rough day at the office for the John Carroll softball team. After a promising start to the Florida trip in which the Blue Streaks won their first three games, they have now dropped three in a row, including both games Tuesday.

Game One

Bates College picked up its first win in six tries this season by scoring early and holding on for a 4-1 win over John Carroll. 

JCU had opportunities to climb back in, but stranded a lead off double in the fourth, scored its lone tally in the fifth but has runners at second and third when the inning ended, and then stranded a runner at third in the sixth. The Blue Streaks were 2-10 in RBI situations.

The Blue Streaks trailed 4-0 in the fifth when Kristen Jesberger singled to start the inning. Sydney Hall came in to pinch run for Jesberger and would advance to third with two outs after Crista Nativio walked and Lindsay McKnight had singled to load the bases.

Elizabeth Fraas then came up and delivered a singled up the middle to plate Hall, but that would be all the scoring JCU could muster.

Game Two

DeSales University built a 7-0 lead in the top of the first and never looked back, ending the game in the sixth inning by winning 13-3.

It was a defensive meltdown that led to seven unearned runs in the opening frame. JCU committed more errors (6) in the inning than DeSales had hits (3).

The tone had been set as DeSales rode that wave to a 13-run effort in which the Bulldogs needed only nine hits.

McKnight, Emma Gurley and Caitlin Fitzsimmons had the RBI hits for the Blue Streaks (Gurley's was a double), while Miranda Noday had her 11-game hitting streak dating back to last season come to an end. McKnight now has the longest streak, as she has hit safely in seven consecutive games dating back to 2018.

John Carroll has the day off before resuming play Thursday against Penn State Hazelton and Misericordia.