WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The Marist softball team split a pair of games at the Seahawk Softball Spring Classic on Saturday. The Red Foxes suffered a 9-5 loss to host UNCW in the first game, but bounced back for a 5-2 triumph over North Carolina A&T in the evening. 

Game One - UNCW 9, Marist 5 

Marist jumped out to an early lead with a five-run second inning, but UNCW scored once in the third and four times in the fourth to tie the game, before taking the lead with a four-run sixth. 

Junior first baseman Maureen Duddy (San Mateo Calif.) went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Freshman designated player Miranda Perez (Whittier, Calif.) was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Sophomore right fielder Janna Korak (Huntsville, Ala.) had a two-run single in the Red Foxes' five-run second.

For UNCW, Merritt Wilkinson, Kristen Jernigan and Darian Roberts drove in three runs apiece. Peyton Jordan came on in relief to get the win, as she held Marist scoreless over the final 5.2 innings.

Game Two - Marist 5, North Carolina A&T 2

A home run by Dasia Moore gave North Carolina A&T a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Marist answered in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Korak, which brought home Duddy.

The Red Foxes then grabbed the lead for good with a pair of runs in the third and fourth. Duddy again started the rally by reaching on an error, and after a walk to senior designated player Janine Lalli (Eastchester, N.Y.), junior shortstop Kyrsten Van Natta (Maplewood, N.J.) brought home Duddy. After Korak drew a walk, freshman third baseman Brittany Colombo (Philadelphia, Pa.) brought home Lalli with a sacrifice fly.

In the Marist fourth, freshman catcher Samantha Reilly (Toms River, N.J.) led off with a single, and then scored on a two-out infield single by Duddy, who then stole second and scored on a single by Lalli.

Meanwhile, in the circle, senior Melanie White (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) went the distance. White allowed just one earned run and four hits. She struck out nine, walked none, and threw 77 of her 107 pitches for strikes.

Duddy finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored. Korak was 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. The top five hitters in the Marist lineup all had one RBI. 

Marist now stands at 3-5 on the season. The Red Foxes will close out play in the Seahawk Softball Spring Classic on Sunday, when they face host UNCW at noon.