The softball team opened play up north this week, playing six games in four days but picking up only one win.

The Pioneers opened play at home, hosting non-conference Gannon for two games last Wednesday, March 13.

Only three batters made it on base, with the Golden Knights’ Madi Beining pitching a complete game without issuing a walk and zero errors on Gannon’s part. Those with hits, and the only base runners, for Point Park were sophomore Maddie Horn, junior Amber Cook, and senior Tiffany Edwards.

Senior Ashley Iagnemma pitched a complete game for Point Park, and held Gannon’s strong offense off until the seventh, when the Golden Knights scored their final three runs and solidified a win, 7-0.

Junior Katie Tarr got the nod to the mound in the second game, and pitched a complete game giving up two earned runs in 7.0 innings with six strikeouts and two walks.

Point Park’s offense again could not get the bats going, registering only two hits from Cook and freshman Taylor Goldstrohm.

Gannon again shutout the Pioneers, 4-0.

With their first games since Florida behind them, the Pioneers traveled to Owensboro, Kentucky. for their first River States Conference (RSC) games against Brescia on Saturday.

The first of the two games mirrored their previous two, with a slow offensive effort from Point Park contributing to a 4-0 loss.

Game two was a close match-up between the Pioneers and the Bearcats, needing 11 innings to produce any sort of result.

Point Park out-hit Brescia 16-8. Senior Tiffany Edwards, freshman Hailey Leitner, and Goldstrohm each tallied four hits apiece. Cook hit a double with two RBIs and Horn had a triple and two RBIs.

The bats hot for the Pioneers, they all of their runs in the 11th inning and ended the game on the opposite end of a shutout, 6-0.

Tarr pitched all 11.0 innings and racked up 13 strikeouts and two walks.

Coming off of the split with Brescia, Point Park spent the next day in New Albany, Indiana. for a series against IU Southeast.

The Grenadiers struck early, with two runs in the bottom of the first. Point Park chipped away at IU Southeast in the second. Junior Courtney Blocher hit a run-scoring single, making the score 2-1 at the end of two.

After another IU Southeast run, Cook’s RBI double cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth.

The Grenadiers’ cleanup hitter Maggie Lubbehussen had an RBI double in the fifth, and IU Southeast scored another run off an error to gain the final two runs of the game and give the Grenadiers a 5-2 win in the first game.

The second game took nine innings, and Tarr pitched all 8.2 with 12 strikeouts and two walks.

Point Park held a 3-1 lead late in the game, but two last-minute runs scored by the Grenadiers tied things up at three at the end of seven.

A walk, sacrifice bunt, and a two-out base hit by the Grenadiers in the bottom of the ninth resulted in a heartbreak loss for Point Park, 4-3.

Point Park will travel to Adrian, Michigan. on Saturday for a two-game series against Siena Heights before returning to Fair Haven Park for games on Tuesday and Wednesday, hosting non-conference two-game series against Malone and Waynesburg, respectively.