ROCK HILL, S.C. – In the opening day of the Winthrop Tournament, the University of Hartford softball team suffered a pair of losses, falling to Dayton in the morning game before dropping a 3-1 decision to UNC-Greensboro later in the afternoon. The Hawks (1-6) return to action on Saturday with a pair of games against Monmouth (11:00 a.m.) and Virginia (3:00 p.m.).

Sophomore Jackie Kelly went 2-for-3 at the plate and crossed home twice, but it wasn't enough for the University of Hartford softball team as it fell, 13-5, to the Dayton Flyers in the opening game of the Winthrop Tournament. The Hawks (1-5) return to action later this afternoon against UNC-Greensboro (5:00 p.m.).

Hartford rallied to start the game, loading up the bases with two outs in the top of the first. Kate Wacyk started the spurt with a base hit up the middle of the infield, and Kelly followed suit with a single to left center field. Sawyer Fried kept the Hawks alive by earning a walk to occupy all three bases, and Melani Maxwell earned the first RBI of the afternoon when she was hit by a pitch from Isaacson. Erica Phelps knocked in the second run of the frame, notching an infield single to second base to plate Kelly from third and provide the Hawks with the early two-run lead.

The Flyers wasted little time to rally back, though, as Mariano led things off for the home squad with a triple. Jennings, the ensuing batter, tied up the game at 2-2, knocking a home run to left field. The scoring would continue for Dayton as it pushed ahead, 4-2, using a pair of singles from Kathleen Maloof and Carlyn Harlow. With two down in the frame, Dana Trotta looped a bases-clearing single into left field to give her team its first lead of the game at two runs.

One of those runs would be earned back in the following inning as Peyton Fisher scored on a squeeze play from Jenice Aloyo. Fisher led off the stanza with a base hit and took two more bases using her speed on the paths, first stealing second base and then grabbing third on an infield groundout by Amber Andrews. She then cut Hartford's deficit to a single run, using the small ball from Aloyo to make it a 4-3 ball game.

The score remained stagnant at 4-3 for the next inning before Dayton decided the game with three runs in the bottom of the third. Trotta pushed the Flyers' advantage to 5-3 with a one-out, solo shot before Dayton loaded up the bases, allowing a single off the bat of Maloof and a walk earned by Tiffany Ricks to extend the Flyers' lead to 7-3.

The Hawks, who were put down, one-two-three in the fourth, responded in the top of the frame and halved its four run deficit to two using RBIs by Maxwell and Fried. The Hawks again found themselves with the bases loaded, and Maxwell made it a 7-4 score using an infield ground out to push each runner 60-feet up the basepaths. Dayton then suffered the consequences of a passed ball as Hartford closed its gap to two runs on a passed ball that scored Kelly from third base.

After plating a single run in the bottom of the fifth, Dayton added insurance runs in the bottom of the six, pushing its lead to 11-5 on Trotta's second bomb of the game, this time at three-run shot, and went on to take its eight-run lead on a game-ending, two-RBI single from Maloof.

In game two, Kelly Lupton threw a complete game for UNC-Greensboro, allowing one earned run and striking out 10 to lead the Spartans past Hartford, 3-1.

UNC-Greensboro used a series of hits in the top of the third to jump out to a 3-0 lead. With one out, Danielle Vega singled through the infield and following a ground out, she scored on a deep single from Kaitlyn Bedwell to give the Spartans the 1-0 advantage. Eileen Horsmon kept the bats going, belting an RBI triple to left field while Heather Robb made it 3-0 with an RBI single through the middle of the infield.

Hartford cut UNC-Greensboro's lead with a one out, solo home run off the bat of Kelly in the bottom of the sixth. The long ball was the first for the Hawks this season.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Hawks threatened by loading up the bases. Chelsey Mooney reached base on a fielder's choice and with one out, Fisher and Amber Andrews each singled, but Lupton closed the door for the Spartans, retiring the next two Hawks via a strikeout and fly out.

Phelps finished 3-for-3 at the plate for the Hawks, who started junior Zuzana Kudernatschova inside the circle. She worked 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while recording three strikeouts. Junior Kaitlyn Meade took over the duties for the final 2.2 innings and recorded two strikeouts.