NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Sarah Lawrence softball team opened its 2019 campaign Sunday at North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex. The Gryphons lost to Frostburg State in the first game, but bounced back to defeat Principia in the nightcap.

IN SHORT
Frostburg State (4-5) def. Sarah Lawrence (1-1), 16-5
Sarah Lawrence def. Principia (3-2), 12-9

TOP GRYPHON PERFORMERS
It was an outstanding debut for first-years Hannah Akin and Tiffany McBrayer. Akin hit .714 (5-for-7) with three RBIs and two runs scored, while McBrayer hit .714 with two RBIs, five runs and a stolen base.

Karissa McAuley hit .500 (4-for-8) with four RBIs and one run in the two games, while Zoe Kim went 2-for-5 (.400) with four runs, one RBI and one walk.

Alexa Zartman-Ball was great in her start against Principia, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and one run, while Tess Carrier hit .500 in the game with a RBI.  

Sarah Lawrence 5, Frostburg State 16
The Gryphons scored a run in their first inning of play this season. McBrayer reached base on a single and stole second before scoring on a wild pitch.

Frostburg State, who entered the day having played eight games prior, countered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and six more in the second for an 8-1 advantage.

Sarah Lawrence continued to battle, plating four runs in the third inning, highlighted by a two-run single from McAuley and a RBI groundout from Mackenzie Mindish.

The Bobcats pulled away in the fourth inning, scoring eight more times to secure the victory.

Sarah Lawrence 12, Principia 9
Sarah Lawrence scored the game's first run in the second inning, thanks to a RBI single from Kim to score Zartman-Ball. Principia answered with four runs in the third inning to take the lead.
The Gryphons rallied to tie the game, as Akin doubled to center to score McBrayer followed by a two-out, two-run single from McAuley.

Principia regained the lead with a run in the fifth, but Sarah Lawrence kept its foot on the gas offensively with three more runs in the bottom of the frame. McBrayer drove in two runs on a triple and later scored off a single from Akin.  

The Panthers plated four runs in the sixth to take a 9-7 edge, but Sarah Lawrence stormed back with five runs in the bottom half of the inning. Zartman-Ball tied the game with a double to left center, scoring Mindish and McAuley. Next at bat, Carrier singled up the middle to score Zartman-Ball to give the Gryphons the lead. Akin and Nguyen each posted RBI singles to round out the scoring.

In addition to her strong performance at the plate, McAuley had a solid day in circle to pick up the win. The junior pitched 6.2 innings and posted seven strikeouts.

UP NEXT
Sarah Lawrence plays two games on Monday. The Gryphons open up with Sewanee at 11:30 a.m. followed by St. Louis College of Pharmacy at 1:30 p.m.