MIAMI, Fla. – On its opening day, the University of Hartford softball team dropped a pair of games on Friday at the Florida International University Classic first suffering a 9-1 loss in five innings to the Mercer Bears before dropping a 6-2 decision to the host-team Panthers later in the day. The Hawks will look to on Saturday morning when they take on Savannah State at 11:00 a.m.

In the first game, the Mercer Bears (7-5) grabbed a quick 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back, adding a pair of insurance runs in the fourth frame and four more in the fifth to push ahead by eight runs. Senior Melani Maxwell scored the lone run of the game for Hartford on a sacrifice fly by graduate student Erica Phelps in the top half of the fifth. Maxwell, who led off that frame with a double, was joined by sophomores Jackie Kelly and Peyton Fisher with one hit apiece.

Two of Mercer's first three runs went in the books as unearned with the home team cashing in on three Hartford errors to take the early lead.

Mercer first struck the scoreboard with no outs recorded in the opening inning as centerfielder McKenzie Woody led off with a single to right center. On the ensuing at-bat, she crossed home plate following a bunt single from second baseman Kaytlin Haney coupled with a throwing error committed by Hartford's infield.

A sacrifice bunt off the bat of Sarah Santana was used to push Haney across home plate for her team's second run of the outing while shortstop Krista Kennedy, who would close out the scoring in the opening frame after earning a walk, used two more Hawks' miscues to work her way around the base paths and provide the Bears with the quick 3-0 advantage.

In the top of the second, sophomore Jackie Kelly notched the Hawks' first hit of 2013, a single up the middle, to start things off. Hartford was unable to take advantage of the lead-off hit, though, as Kelly was nabbed at second base on a fielder's choice from Maxwell.

From there, Mercer hurler Julia Rice got in the zone, retiring the next nine Hawks' batters, forcing seven infield ground-outs while recording one strikeout. Hartford hurler Zuzana Kudernatschova also enjoyed a solid stretch, putting down the Bears' line-up in order in the second inning and allowing just one hit and a walk in the following frame.

Kudernatschova's hot streak was short-lived, though, as Mercer added two more runs to the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. The Hartford pitcher issued two-straight walks to start the frame, and both of those runners ended up crossing home plate as a result of the Hawks' fifth error of the outing.

Hartford scratched one run across the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning, but a three-run homer off the bat of Kennedy extended the Bears' edge to seven runs. Following a pitching change that saw sophomore Brittany Beebe make her debut in a Hartford uniform, the Hawks retired the next two batters before Rachel Hugghins, who was hit by a pitch, scored on a double by her twin sister, Victoria Hugghins, to enforce the mercy rule and end the game.

In the nightcap, junior Amber Andrews scored the first run of the game in the opening inning, but FIU (8-5) answered back in the bottom half of the frame with three runs to take a two-run advantage. Two innings later, the Panthers added two more runs  before plating a single run in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-1 advantage.

Shel Wagnon threw a no-hitter for FIU, fanning nine batters while issuing three walks.

Andrews, who was hit by a pitch to start the game, got the Hawks on the scoreboard after taking second base on a wild pitch and moving to third on a ground-out off the bat of Kate Wacyk. In the ensuing at-bat, Kelly was hit by a Wagnon pitch before the Panthers' pitcher got past the glove Bre Kaye, allowing Andrews to coast across home plate to give her team the early 1-0 lead.

Hartford cut its deficit to four runs in its final at-bats as Ana Alberti, who reached base on an error to start the inning, moved to third base on another Panthers error. With one out recorded, the sophomore crossed home plate on a ground out by Fisher.

Kaitlyn Meade threw six complete innings for the Hawks, allowing six earned runs on seven hits while striking out a pair of batters.