HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. – The Urbana University softball team opened the 2019 season under first-year head coach Brooke McCartney with a pair of games at the Music City Invitational.

The Blue Knights (0-2) fell, 12-7, to Truman in Game 1 and were blanked, 8-0, by Missouri S&T in the nightcap.

Game 1

UU plated four runs on four hits in the sixth inning to trim the deficit to two, but Truman scored three in the bottom half to push the game out of reach.

Junior Mykee Holtz (2-3, 2 RBI, 2B) and freshman Mackenzie Frantz (2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R) led four Blue Knights with multi-hit efforts, along with senior Jenna VanHoose (2-3) and freshman Erin Gardner (2-3, RBI). The Blue Knights had nine hits and left seven runners on base.

Truman scored twice in the first inning and led the entire game, while also putting three across in the third and four in the fourth. The Bulldogs totaled 12 hits led by center fielder Christa Reisinger (3-3, 2B, HR).

The Blue Knights scored a run in the third and two in the fourth.

UU starter Kayleigh Pate tossed six innings in the circle and struck out a pair, while TSU’s Alyssa Hajduk earned the victory in three innings of work.

Game 2

Missouri S&T freshman Olivia Walter tossed a complete-game two-hitter to carry the Miners to an 8-0 triumph in six innings.

Sophomores Britney Bonno (1-2, BB) and Pate (1-2, HBP) each reached base twice for the Blue Knights. Pate also threw 5.1 innings inside the circle and allowed five earned runs on 11 hits. UU had four errors in the field.

The Miners scored a run in the second, third and fourth innings and three more in the sixth.

UU will return to action on March 8 when it kicks off its spring break trip to Florida against Walsh and UMary.