Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Rockford box | Edgewood box
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Nazareth opened its 2014 softball season Sunday by dropping a pair of close non-conference games. The Golden Flyers' seventh-inning rally came up short in a 7-5 loss to Rockford University of Illinois in the first game. Then Edgewood College of Wisconsin scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning for a 3-2 win over the Golden Flyers in the second game.

In the first game, Rockford built a 3-0 lead with a run in the second inning and two more in the fifth. They extended the lead to 7-0 with four more runs in the top of the seventh. Nazareth staged a dramatic comeback in the bottom half of the seventh by knocking out seven hits, but the game ended with a runner at third and the potential tying run at second.

Sophomore Morgan Ross doubled home Emily Beckley with the first run and Ross later scored on a single by Maureen Rogers. Two more runs scored on RBI singles by Sophia Rhoades and Shauna Bardanis. With the bases loaded and one out, Carly Pike scored from third on a wild pitch with Rhoades and Bardanis moving up to third and second respectively with one out. Meg DeMario then lined out to first base for the second out and the game ended on a grounder to first base by Beckley.

Bardanis and senior Sarah Cipperly each finished with two hits. Sophomore Danae Wetherbee pitched and took the loss despite allowing just two hits. She pitched the first five innings and walked six and struck out four.

Nazareth managed only four hits against Edgewood in the second game, which went scoreless through the first six innings. In fact Nazareth was hitless until DeMario and Beckley reached base on singles to open the sixth. Both runners advanced on an infield grounder by Ross, but both were left stranded after Sarah Papponetti flied out and Rogers grounded out to end the threat.

Edgewood, meanwhile, managed just a third-inning single off Nazareth freshman starting pitcher Nicole White through the first six innings.

The Golden Flyers broke through for a run in the seventh after singles by Cipperly and Rhoades. White and DeMario each were hit by pitches to force Cipperly home with the game's first run. After Edgewood tied the score with a run in the bottom of the seventh, Nazareth regained the lead in the top of the eighth. Ross was placed on second to open the inning and later scored an unearned run when an infield grounder by Rogers was misplayed.

Edgewood plated the winning runs in the bottom of the eighth as Rachel DeJongh scored the trying run on an error and Alyssa Shulting singled home the winning run.

White was the tough-luck losing pitcher for Nazareth despite allowing just one earned run and striking out three.

Nazareth plays two more games Monday -- against Mount St. Mary at 9 a.m. and against Curry at 11 a.m.