CLERMONT, Fla. – The Susquehanna softball team opened its 2016 season on Sunday, March 6 with an eight-inning loss to No. 3 Washington University followed by a 3-2 win over Lakeland College.

Against the third-ranked Bears, the Crusaders (1-1) held a 3-1 lead through the top of the seventh before Washington broke through for two runs in the seventh to tie the game at three and force extra innings. While SU plated one run in its half of the eighth, the Bears scored two of their own for the 5-4 victory.

Emilie Boman had two hits and two RBI while Lauren Creamer added two hits and drove in one run.

Starting pitcher Jamie Fesinstine went 7.2 innings and gave up five runs – only one of which was earned – on eight hits with four strikeouts.

The Crusaders struck first when Creamer came through with a two-RBI single up the middle that scored Heather Pearson and Genevieve Raley.

Washington pulled within one with an unearned run in the second before Boman's RBI double made it a 3-1 Susquehanna after 2 ½ innings of play.

It remained 3-1 until the bottom of the seventh when the Bears plated two unearned runs to tie the game and force extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, Boman broke the tie with a single up the middle that scored McKayla Brady.

Fesinstine came back out to pitch the bottom of the eighth where Washington tied the game on an error and won on Josi Elder's sac fly to right field.

The Crusaders rebounded to win their second game of the night, though, a 3-2 victory over Lakeland. Pearson drove in two more runs while Amanda Neveroski recorded the team's first home run of the season.

Freshman pitcher Alexa Gonzalez picked up her first collegiate victory with seven innings of two-run ball. Jess Juhlin, meanwhile, recorded her first collegiate save.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third when Pearson drove in two runs with a single. In the bottom of the next innings, Neversoski made it 3-0 with a solo shot.

That home run proved to be important as Lakeland got on the board with two runs in the top of the single on two RBI hits. Fortunately for SU, Caten Teff grounded out to Juhlin with two outs to end the game.

The Crusaders returns to action on March 7 with a 1 p.m. game against Penn State Brandywine and a 3 p.m. game against Meredith.