KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons softball team earned their first win of the season on Monday as they took the first game of the team's second day at the Rebel Spring Games against Dowling, 8-4. They suffered a loss in game two against the New York Institute of Technology Golden Lions, 10-4.

Katie Howland led off the day with a walk and scored one of the Dragons' six runs in the first inning to score enough for the win. Howland moved around the bases as Jessica Mroz was hit by a pitch, and both stole the next base to move into scoring position. AJ Hoefer hit a ball into right center field to earn both RBI. Casey Preston tallied her first double of the season in the following at-bat to advance Hoefer to third. The Dragons next three runs would come off bases-loaded walks. The final run in the inning for MSUM would come off the bat of Desi DeMarco, who had an infield single to score Lauren Jansson.

The Dragons tallied two more runs in the top of the second inning as Jansson and Amanda Moore scored on a double hit by Molly Keeler deep into centerfield.

Dowling answered MSU Moorhead's runs in the bottom half of the inning as Jessica Roque hit a home run over the centerfield fence. They would tallied two more in the bottom of the seventh but could not overcome the Dragons lead.

Alexa D'Onofrio pitched the complete game for the Dragons, allowing four runs off of nine hits (two earned runs) and struck out six. The win was her first collegiate win as a Dragon, moving her season record to 1-2.

DeMarco and Hoefer each tallied two hits. DeMarco had one RBI while Hoefer marked two RBI and scored a run. Molly Keeler had three RBI on the day, going 1-for-3 from the plate.

GAME TWO
The Dragons could not overcome the lead that the NYIT Golden Lions put up early as MSUM suffered a 10-4 loss in game two.

The New York Institute of Technology Golden lions went up early in game two as they capitalized on two walks which loaded the bases with two outs, to score two runs on a single by Lisa Boystak.

The Dragons answered with a run in the bottom of the second inning as Hoefer scored on a single by Keeler. Hoefer reached base on a walk and moved to third on a double by Casey Preston.

The Golden Lions put up four runs in the top of the third, as they capitalized on two Dragon errors in the field that followed a single and two consecutive doubles that had posted the first two runs. They tallied -another in the fourth on a lead-off triple by Anna Hernandez who was knocked in on a sacrifice fly.

MSUM tallied one in the bottom of the third and two in the bottom of the fourth. Howland tallied the RBI in the third as she walked with the bases loaded. Simone Parcells scored as she was pinch running as the Dragons loaded the bases on three singles by Moore, Litzer and Jessica Hollis.

In the fourth, DeMarco crossed the plate on a single by Hoefer. DeMarch had reached on a single and advanced into scoring position on a stolen base.

In the top of the seventh the Golden Lions tallied three more runs on a triple, a double and two singles to increase their lead to six, which was their margin of victory as MSUM could not produce a run in their final at-bat.