AUBURNDALE, Fla. — The Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team got a pair of solid pitching outings but came up short in a pair of nonconference games in Auburndale, Fla. MSUM fell to Pittsburg-Johnstown, 4-2 and Urbana (Ohio), 3-1.

MSUM is now 1-7 on the nonconference season.

"We gave ourselves a chance today bot hat the plate and with our pitching," MSUM head coach Amanda Reckamp said. "More pieces were seen coming together today. We just have to get that clutch play or clutch hit to get us over the hump."

In the first game, sophomore catcher Jordie McNeilly was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Five Dragons had one hit each: senior outfielder Madison Paige, junior outfielder Elizabeth Johnson, senior first baseman Payton Gaber, junior designated hitter Ashley McCance and sophomore second baseman Samantha Gjerde.

Sophomore Becky Berth pitched four innings and didn't allow an earned run — all three runs she surrendered were unearned — striking out four while walking two. Freshman pitcher Abby Muelrath gave up one earned run in two innings.

The Dragons led 2-0 after the top of the second — one run scored on an error and sophomore outfielder Jordey Smith scored on a passed ball. Pittsburg-Johnstown came back to take a 3-2 lead and then a solo homer in the sixth made it 4-2.

In the loss to Urbana, Paige and senior third baseman Emma Dummer had doubles while Smith had hit. Sophomore shortstop Kaiya Sundeen had an RBI. Sophomore right fielder Ally Helgoe had an RBI.

A two-run homer in the sixth broke a 1-1 tie and gave Urbana a 3-1 lead.

MSUM is off on Monday and resumes on Tuesday with games against Nyack College (9 a.m. Central time) and Edinboro (11 a.m. CT).