CLERMONT, Fla. (March 12) – The California University of Pennsylvania softball team opened play at the PFX Spring Games in Florida on Saturday with a 6-1 loss against Sioux Falls (S.D.) and a 7-0 win over St. Cloud State (Minn.).

With the split, the Vulcans move their record to 3-4 overall after being idle for nearly a month.

Against St. Cloud State (14-4), sophomore Taylor Robblee (Woodstock, Ontario/College Avenue) tossed a five-hit, complete-game shutout to earn her first win of the season. She issued one walk and faced just five batters over the minimum in 7.0 innings. Robblee holds a 1.29 ERA over five appearances this season with a pair of complete games in two starts.

The Vulcans scored all seven of their runs in the first inning against the Huskies. Robblee reached base on an error to start the inning before junior shortstop Emily Price (Warren, Ohio/ Howland) followed with a double. Freshman third baseman Paige Wilson (Warren, Pa./Warren) then registered a two-run double before junior second baseman Courtney Sinclair (Oil City, Ontario/Lambton Central) and junior catcher Kaylyn Roose (Akron, Ohio/Revere) later collected back-to-back, two-run doubles, 6-0. After batting around in the first, Robblee hit the fifth double of the inning to score Roose to stretch the lead to 7-0.

The initial two batters for SCSU reached base in the bottom of the first before Robblee retired the next three batters in order. Robblee escaped another run-scoring threat in the second after the Huskies led the inning off with a double. The Vulcans managed just two hits after the first inning, but had at least one runner in scoring position in three innings.

Roose reached base in all four plate appearances (two hits, two errors) and finished 2-of-4 with two RBI and one run scored. Sinclair and Wilson also both collected two RBI in the victory.

Against Sioux Falls (9-5), the Vulcans were tied at 1-1 before the Cougars scored five runs (three unearned) in the top of the sixth. Cal U also left 11 runners on base in the loss, including eight in scoring position, as it left the bases loaded three times. Wilson was the only player to record a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-3 with one walk, and junior center fielder Jacquelyn Fowler (Grove City, Ohio/Central Crossing) also reached base three times (two walks, single).

Cal U took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a bases-loaded RBI single by senior catcher Megan Jahoda (Buchanan, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) before Sioux Falls retried the next two batters to end the inning. The Vulcans left runners on the corners in the third before the Cougars tied the score in the fourth with a two-out RBI single.

Sioux Falls opened the top of the sixth with back-to-back doubles before Cal U made a pitching change. Later in the inning, the Cougars capitalized on an error by scoring three unearned runs to stretch the lead to 6-1. The Vulcans looked to answer in the bottom of the inning by loading the bases with one out before the next two batters popped up to end the threat. Cal U again loaded the bases in the seventh but was unable to cut into the deficit.

Senior Kaity Davis (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) suffered the loss to fall to 1-1 this season after allowing three runs (all earned) on seven hits in 5.0-plus innings. She recorded six strikeouts and issued no walks while making her first start since Feb. 10.

Cal U continues play at the PFX Spring Games tomorrow, Sunday, March 12, with games against St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.) and Concordia St. Paul (Minn.).