CLERMONT, Fla. - The Toledo softball team defeated Morgan State, 2-1, before falling to Liberty, 3-1, on the second day of Dot Richardson's National Collegiate Softball Invitational. Splitting the double header brings the Rockets' record to 3-1 on the season.

GAME 1
The Rockets fell behind Morgan State 1-0 in the first inning, but battled back using small ball to edge out a 2-1 win. With the win, the Rockets started the season 3-0 for the first time in program history.

Sophomore pitcher Leah Allison ran into trouble early as Morgan State's Damali Young tripled on the first pitch of the game. The next batter lifted a sacrifice fly to left to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. Allison settled in to blank Morgan State (0-3) in the second and third innings before giving way to junior Kailey Minarchick. Minarchick recorded a pair of strikeouts in the fourth and set down the Bears in order in the fifth to keep the deficit to one run.

UT's offense came to life in the bottom of the fifth when senior Ashley Rausch drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a passed ball. Freshman Brittney Davis moved Rausch to third with a sacrifice bunt and junior pinch hitter Katie Cozy drove in the Rockets' first run with a sac fly to center field.

Minarchick (2-0) tossed a clean sixth inning to get Toledo's offense back to the plate. Freshman Bailey Curry led off the inning with a single to left and an error advance pinch runner Ami Ill to third with no outs.

Samantha Golden was next to the plate and laid down a bunt which scored Ill and gave the Rockets a 2-1 lead in the late innings. Minarchick allowed a one-out single in the seventh but was able to tally the final two outs on ground balls.

GAME 2
The Rockets out-hit Liberty 6-2, but suffered their first loss of the season to the defending NISC champion in game two of the day.

The Rockets got on the board first in the fourth inning. Senior Sam Showalter started the inning with a double to the wall in left. Junior Katie Cozy bunted Showalter to third and freshman Bekah Yenrick drove her in with an RBI single to give UT a 1-0 lead. Prior to the Rockets' run, Liberty (4-0) had not allowed a run on the season.

Junior Heather Webb cruised through the first four innings without allowing a hit, but ran into trouble in the fifth. A pair of walks and an RBI single was enough to chase Webb after 4.1 innings.

Junior Kailey Minarchick came on in relief, but could not escape the inning before another single plated a pair of runs for the Flames.

With the loss, Toledo falls to (3-1) on the season. UT will play their final game of the invitational tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. against Morgan State.