CENTRAL, S.C. – Southern Wesleyan softball opened the season on Thursday against Anderson University, dropping both games in the doubleheader 11-1 and 5-1.

The Warriors hung with the mighty Trojans for the first five innings in both contests, leading 1-0 after five in game two and tied 1-1 after fifth in game one.

Southern Wesleyan is back in action on Saturday against another member of the SAC, Mars Hill. Doubleheader action is set to begin at 1 p.m.

Game One
Freshman Lucy Wolff tossed five very good innings against the Trojans but ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing three runs on three hits before being lifted. AU added another run off of Hunter Hoskins and then six more in the seventh to take the opener 11-1.

Newcomer Taylor Fox, picked up a pair of hits and scored the lone run of the game in the first inning. Fox led off the bottom of the first with a single right back up the middle and advanced to second on a sac bunt from fellow newcomer Alyssa Mendoza.

A single to center off the bat of Lizzie Fela moved Fox to third before Fela and Fox pulled off a double steal to give the Warriors an early 1-0 lead. Fela was thrown out at third on the play trying to catch the defense asleep.

The Warriors picked up only one more hit off of starter Augie Pena who struck out 13 on the day including a run of eight in a row. That hit didn't come until Pena's final inning of work, the sixth as Fox picked up a two-out single to left. In the seventh Sara Sweatt beat out an infield single.

The Trojans got on the board in the third as Jessica Neidigh blasted a one-out homer to right center. AU added four runs on five hits in the sixth and capped it off with six runs on five hits in the seventh. The Trojans finished with 14 hits led by Cailah Niles and Chelsea Jones who each had three.

Pena picked up the win to improve to 2-0 while Wolff took the loss (0-1) in her first collegiate start.

Game Two
A similar story unfolded in game two as the Warriors and Trojans were locked up in a pitcher's duel early on. Freshman Natalie Johnson worked out of trouble in each of the first three innings, stranding seven runners in those frames while allowing just two hits.

Anderson left the bases loaded for the second time in the game in the fifth as Johnson again worked out of trouble. The Trojans left 12 on base in the game but finally broke through in the sixth.

The Warriors tooke a 1-0 lead in the fifth as Sara Sweatt delivered a one-out sac fly to score Michaela Wickham. Taylor Fox was thrown out at third trying to advance to end the inning.

Anderson responded in the top of the sixth. After a walk and a single led off the frame, Johnson was lifted for Lucy Wolff. After a pop out, Cailah Niles hit a three-run homer to center to put the Trojans on top 3-1. Jessica Neidigh added her second homer of the day in the seventh, a two-run shot, to provide the final tally at 5-1.

The Warriors were limited to five hits in the game with five different players picking up singles.

Chelsea Jones got the win for AU with five innings of work, striking out six, to improve to 1-0 on the year. Lauren Rudesheim got the save, her first, with two innings of one-hit relief. Johnson took the loss for the Warriors to fall to 0-1. She gave up just four hits and two runs in five innings but walked eight.