Myrtle Beach, SC- The Franciscan softball team had a beautiful sunny and 75 day but the SUNY Poly Wildcats slipped past the Lady Barons, 13-4.

SUNY Poly jumped ahead during in the first, scoring three unearned runs. The following inning, the Barons came out swinging. Jordan Cunningham led off the hitters with a patient at bat and drew a walk. Kelsey Cornelio advanced the runner with a single up the middle before Lindsey Finch sent a ball to right field allowing for Cunningham to score. Cornelio soon followed suit when Anna King singled her home.

When the Barons took the field, their defense stopped the Wildcats potent offense. The Wildcats were able to get a quick two outs before the Barons were able to tie the game in their half of the inning. Cunningham started off the two-out rally with a double to center going 1 for 2 for the day. Cornelio, who went 2 for 2, shot a ball to center bringing Cunningham around to home.

The Barons headed back to the field, but lost momentum and the Wildcats took advantage of the mistakes. They scored one run in the bottom of the third and eight unearned runs in the fourth, advancing their score to 13. The Barons made one last attempt to catch the Wildcats when Caroline Durand scored on an error by the second baseman.

Coach Walker emphasized the need for consistency on the defensive end. The team got tired and lost their focus resulting in a big inning for the Wildcats. "We have a couple of injuries so we had to completely revamp our infield. We just need to keep our spirits up and be confident; I think we will gain that with our first win." Coach Walker also applauded his girls for getting better each time they step out on the field. "I felt that our team was very competitive today and we are sticking with the other team. We just need to be more consistent."

The team will continue spring break play tomorrow, Wednesday, with a game at 9:30am and 5:30pm, looking for their first win.