By Mark DeHaan

CLERMONT, FL - After opening up the season with a pair of wins on Monday, the Calvin softball team split two games Tuesday to bring its season record to 3-1.

The Knights faced the Blue Devils of Fredonia State in the first match-up, falling 4-2, but then rebounded with a 7-6 win over Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

In game one, Calvin plated a run in the top of the first to open up the scoring. Freshman Kaley Frank singled to bring in freshman Jessica Brasser.

The Knights scored another run in the top of the fourth, as freshman Madi Jongekrijg singled to plate a run.

Up 2-0, Calvin gave up four runs in the bottom of the fourth to see the tables turned, and Fredonia State take a 4-2 lead.

In the remaining three innings, Calvin failed to add any more runs, and the Blue Devils claimed a 4-2 win over the Knights.

Brasser was 3-for-4 with one run scored for Calvin, while Jongekrijg finished 1-for-2 with one RBI.

Freshman Madi Cornish took the loss in the circle for Calvin, pitching four innings, striking out four but allowing four earned runs.

In the second game against Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the Pointers jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind one run in the first inning and two runs in the second.

The Calvin offense responded with five hits and four runs in the bottom of the second, all with two outs, to put the Knights ahead 4-3.

In the third, the Pointers tied the ball game on a solo home run.

Calvin then plated three runs in the fourth inning, taking advantage of a couple Wisconsin-Stevens Point errors to pull ahead 7-4.

The Knights shut down the Pointers in the fifth and sixth innings, but an error in the seventh made the game interesting as Wisconsin-Stevens Point scored two runs to bring the score to 7-6.

A strikeout by the freshman pitcher Makela Chapman then closed out the contest, and the Knights claimed the 7-6 win to rebound from the loss earlier in the day.

Brasser was 2-for-4 in game two with two RBI and two runs scored to lead the Calvin offense. Senior Kelsey Pollock went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while senior Christie VanderMeer was 1-for-2 with two runs scored. Junior Jessica Gillings contributed two runs and one RBI on 1-for-3 hitting, while junior Alyssa Bryan was 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run scored.

In the circle, sophomore Paige Groom earned the win, pitching 4.2 innings while striking out six and allowing just two earned runs. Chapman earned the save, pitching the final 2.1 innings and giving up no earned runs.

"We didn't have the intensity in the first game that we expected and that we had on the first day, and we let a game get away that we thought we should have won. The nice thing is we came back in the second game against a nice Wisconsin team and beat them 7-6," said head coach Tim Syrek. "To see all the different teams is good because it gets you exposed to different things – some teams slap, some hit for power, different pitching – it gets you prepared for the MIAA, which ultimately, is what we want to do."

Calvin, now 3-1, continues its busy Spring Break trip with games against Washington and Jefferson College and the University of Scranton on Wednesday.

The Knights will play Washington and Jefferson at 1:00 p.m., with the match-up against Scranton to follow at 3:00 p.m.