BRADFORD, Pa. – Franciscan University women's softball team found their groove defensively but were unable to score in their 8-0, 10-0 losses against the University of Pitt-Bradford.

In their first matchup, the Lady Barons held the Panthers to zero runs in the first and third innings but faltered in the second and fourth, letting in four runs in each. Despite a larger deficit in the second game, the Lady Barons managed to play both games without errors.

Head coach James Walker said he was pleased with what he saw on the field.

"This was probably, honest to goodness, the best game we've played all year defensively. No errors is a huge improvement for us," Walker said. "We spent a lot of time in practice this week working on our defense, trying to get people in the right positions, and it really worked out for us today."

Some of the more exciting plays came from veteran players like sophomore second baseman Iliana Gonzales, who facilitated a double play with freshman shortstop Lindsey Finch off a hard hit between first and second in the first inning of the second game.

"Iliana made some really nice plays at second base today," Walker said, adding that another standout, this time offensively, was Finch.

Finch had two of the Lady Barons' five total hits. Walker said her growth offensively bodes well for the rest of the season. He added that the team as a whole made contact offensively but was unable to get past Bradford's defense.

"The pitcher did a pretty good job of moving the ball around us," Walker said. "But it was a good sign that we really weren't striking out all that much. They made a couple of good defensive plays against us, including some double plays, to keep us from having a chance of scoring some runs."

Walker said that overall, the team's small improvements were encouraging to see and that looking forward to their quick turnaround game against Bethany College (W.V.), the team will be working their swings in hope of more scoring opportunities.

"This is what we've been driving for all year, to make sure that every time we go out we get a little bit better and today was nice to see that I think everyone felt a lot more comfortable," Walker said. "The team finally beat us instead of us beating ourselves constantly. If we keep playing defense the way we did today, we'll give ourselves a pretty good chance of maybe having a couple wins."

The Lady Barons will play Bethany College (W.V.) on Sunday, April 19 at 1 and 3 pm.