MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.  -  Coast Guard softball picked up a loss and a win today to close out their spring break trip to the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic. The Bears fell in game one against SUNY Morrisville, 2-3, before bouncing back to a 10-2 win against Mitchell College in game two.

The Bears improve to 4-2; SUNY Morrisville moves to 2-2 and will face a pair of Penn State satellites in Schuylkill and Abington tomorrow; Mitchell will head home to host Vermont State Lyndon in a non-conference doubleheader.

Bears ace Dana Walker (Macon, Ga.) started both games, going five innings in the first one and pitching a complete game in the second, while freshman Lauren Ragonese (Liverpool, N.Y.) capped off her impressive debut week with a pair of multi-hit games.

GAME 1 vs. SUNY MORRISVILLE
Looking to continue her dominant start to the season, Walker was able to escape a bases loaded jam in the first inning but wasn't as lucky in the second. Mustangs three-hole hitter Emery Sawitzki (Amsterdam, N.Y.) singled to center field to drive in her teammates on second and third and give her team an early 2-0 start. Walker was nails for the rest of her outing, allowing no runs and hits while just two Mustangs reached on walks. Two-way freshman Hayden Reilly (Prosper, Tex.) took over pitching duties in the top of the sixth and kept Morrisville at two despite a runner reaching base on an error.

Coast Guard's bats woke up in the bottom sixth with Ragonese acting as the alarm clock. The freshman led off with a double down the left field line and advanced to third in the following at-bat before crossing the plate for the Bears' first run of the game on a Mack Murnane (Wilmington, N.C.) single through the left side. Maura Murphy (Bristow, Va.) later crossed as the tying run after a throw to third base by Mustangs pitcher Piper Kaylor (Montgomery, N.Y.) following a comebacker bounced off the glove of third baseman Hannah Brennan (Trumansburg, N.Y.) and rolled far enough away for Murphy to score. Morrisville regained their lead in the bottom of the seventh after Mustangs shortstop Lindsey Fish (Freeville, N.Y.) scored from second on an outfield error. The Bears loaded the bases in the bottom half before before a pop-out, ground-out, and fly-out derailed the walk-off threat. 

Walker struck out seven in her five innings in the circle while Murnane and Abriana Schmutz (Marysville, Ohio) joined Ragonese for a trio of two-hit games. Fish and Sawitzki had two hits each, as well, with Sawitzki accounting for two RBIs, while Fish shined on defense by acting as a major hit deterrent on the right side of the field throughout the game. Kaylor gave up seven hits, walked two, and struck out five in her complete-game effort.

GAME 2 vs. MITCHELL
Coast Guard took a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a pair of errors. Schmutz reached on a mistake by Pilgrims shortstop Gemma Landry (Lewiston, Maine), before coming around to score on a single by Ragonese that got past center fielder Madison Cole (Westbrook, Maine). The Bears were held scoreless in the second and third before tacking on five runs in the fourth. Ragonese led off with an triple and was brought in on a single by Murphy, who later scored after Madeline Kibler (Effingham, Ill.) singlked through the left side. Reilly later made it 5-0 by bringing in two on Coast Guard's second triple of the inning and crossed herself in the next at-bat after an error by pitcher Emily Reynolds (Somers, Conn.).

Mitchell put two on Walker in the bottom half before Coast Guard made it 7-0 in the top of the fifth thanks to Murnane driving Murphy in with a double down the left field line. Neither team scored in the sixth, but the Bears reach ten on three straight ABs in the seventh. A bases-loaded single by Kibler brought the first run in before another scored on an error by Landry. A sac fly by Veronica Krystofik (Colchester, Conn.) brought the last one in. Walker pitched two ground-outs and strike-out to finish the game.

Walker nabbed her fourth win of the week with another dominant showing, giving up five hits, no walks, and striking out ten in five innings. Ragonese went 3-for-4, while Murphy and Kibler had two hits each, while Kibler joined Reilly in two-RBI performances. Pilgrims second baseman was the brought spot for Mitchell's offense with her two-hit game.

Bears softball will face Roger Williams on March 19th for a non-conference doubleheader.