CLERMONT, Florida – The MSOE softball team opened its 2017 season Tuesday in Florida, suffering a pair of losses at the hands of Capital and Cleary.

The Raiders (0-2) fell to the Crusaders (2-1) 11-3 in the opener, then fell at the hands of the Cougars (5-2) 10-0 in five innings.

MSOE got off to a strong start against Capital, putting runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings while retiring the first eight batters. The Crusaders struck for four runs in the fourth innings, followed by a six-run fifth inning to open a 10-0 lead.

The Raiders battled back for three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore Julia Marsh started a rally with one out, singling through the left side. Freshman Kiersti Davis walked and sophomore Emma Megal beat out an infield single to load the bases. Sophomore Emily Snow followed with a bases-clearing double to left field to get the Red & White on the board.

Capital would tack on an unearned run in the seventh inning. The Raiders did attempt to mount a rally in their last at bat, with a pair of two-out singles but were unable to add to their run total.

Snow finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

Senior Shannon Curtis (0-1) got the start and went 4.2 innings while senior Callie Wightman closed out the game with 2.1 innings of work. She allowed no earned runs and struck out a pair.

In game two against Cleary, the Cougars struck for a pair of runs in the first inning and one in the third before blowing open the game with a seven-run fourth inning.

Megal paced the offense with two hits in game two.

Three different pitchers saw time in the circle, with sophomore Liz Gale (0-1) hurling 3.1 innings in the start.

The Raiders have a busy day lined up Wednesday, playing three games. They open with York (Pa.) at 8 a.m., followed by Point Park at 10:30 a.m. and Mt. Vernon Nazarene in the afternoon at 3:30 p.m.