STAUNTON, Va.- The Randolph softball team traveled to Mary Baldwin to play the Fighting Squirrels on Thursday. The WildCats dropped the first game 6-4 and came back to win the second 8-6.

In the first game, Mary Baldwin led 3-0 after three innings. In the fourth inning, Alyssa Swords (Prince George, Va./Prince George) led off with a double. After Jhenai Sewer (Newport News, Va./Woodside) lined out, Diane Mahiai (Chesapeake, Va./Salem) singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by the center fielder which allowed Swords to go to third base. Gracie Waller (Ringgold, Va./ Dan River) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Briana Harbison (Dumfries, Va./Potomac) then doubled to score two runs and make it a 3-2 game.

The WIldCats took the lead on Sewer's two-run homer in the fifth inning. The Fighting Squirrels grabbed the lead with two runs in the bottom portion of the inning. The 'Cats got the first two runners on in the sixth but left them stranded. Mary Baldwin got a solo homerun by Jordan Miller in the bottom of the sixth off Randolph starting pitcher Braelyn Cooper (Amherst, Va./Amherst County). The WildCats went down 1-2-3 in the seventh to end the game.

Sewer was 2-for-4 with the homerun, her second of the season, two runs batted in, and one run scored. Mahiai went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Harbison batted 3-for-3 with two runs batted in.

Cooper went six innings. She gave up six runs (four earned) on nine hits. She walked two and struck out four.

In the second game, the Fighting Squirrels led 1-0 following a solo homer by Lindsey Simmons. The WildCats responded with a six-run second inning to jump ahead 6-1.

The 'Cats tacked on another run in the third inning to increase their lead. Mary Baldwin cut the Randolph lead to 7-5 in the fourth inning. Tee Davis' (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale) sacrifice fly in the WildCats' fifth made it 8-5. Sam Breeden closed the Fighting Squirrels to two runs in the bottom of the fifth. After allowing a walk, Randolph pitcher Abbi Pannill (Prince George, Va./Prince George) was able to get Turner to ground into a double play to the end the inning. The game was then called due to darkness.

Delaney Nuckols (Rockville, Va./Patrick Henry) was 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot for Randolph and scored a run. Waller was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and one run batted in. Swords went 2-for-2 with a double, stolen base, one run scored and two runs batted in.

Danielle Shannon (Greenville, Va./Riverheads) started in the circle and pitched 3 2/3 innings. She gave up five runs on three hits, walked four, and struck out one in picking up her second win of the season. Pannill got her second save of the year as she surrendered just one run on one hit in 1 1/3 innings. She walked and struck out one.

Randolph hosts Salem this Saturday. Start time for the first game is 1:00 p.m.