FREDERICKBURG, Va.- The Randolph softball team traveled north to the University of Mary Washington on Thursday for a non-conference doubleheader. The WildCats split the doubleheader with the Eagles as they dropped the first game 6-3 and won Game 2 9-6.

In the first game, the WildCats had two runners on and two outs. Diane Mahiai (Chesapeake, Va./Salem) singled to center field that scored Kayla Love (League City, Texas/Tallwood) as the 'Cats took a 1-0 lead.

The Randolph lead was short-lived as the Eagles plated two runs in the first inning and another two in the second to take a 4-1 lead. Another UMW run came home in the third as Mary Washington expanded its lead to 5-1.

The WildCats got one run back in the fourth inning on a Lacey Lucado (Buchanan, Va./James River) RBI triple. The Eagles added a run in the fifth inning to make the score 6-2. Randolph needed to rally in the seventh inning. Lucado led off with a single to left field and moved to second on a Delaney Nuckols' (Rockville, Va./Patrick Henry) groundout. A passed ball then shifted her to third base. Dominique Irving (Amherst, Va./Amherst County) reached on an error that allowed Lucado to score. Love fouled out to the catcher to end the game.

Jenna St. John (Concord, Va./Appomattox) pitched all six innings in the circle for Randolph. She allowed six runs (five earned) on 14 hits walking one and striking out two.

Lucado was 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored. Mahiai was 2-for-3 with a run batted in. Irving went 2-for-4 and stole two bases.

In the second game, Randolph had a runner on third with one out in the first inning but could not get the run home. Mary Washington had a pair of three-run home runs in the bottom portion of the inning to take a 6-0 lead.

The WildCats slowly chipped away at the Eagle lead. A Mahiai double in the third inning scored a run. In the fifth inning, her sac fly scored a second run. With the bases loaded, Madison Jarrelle (Chesterfield, Va./Manchester) reached on an error which allowed a run to score. Paige Naples (Bedford, Va./Liberty) hit a sac fly that scored a third run and the score stood at 6-4.

Mahiai came up big for Randolph again in the sixth inning as her RBI single made it 6-5. Lucado laced a triple down the right field line to bring home two runs as the WildCats took the lead at 7-6. Jarrelle singled to score Lucado to make it 8-6. The 'Cats got another run as a wild pitch allowed Jarrelle to score.

UMW went down 1-2-3- in their portion of the sixth inning. In the seventh, starting pitcher Emily Morris (Esmont, Va./Monticello) got the first batter to strike out swinging. After allowing a walk, she got the next Eagle to line out to third base. Morris issued a second walk but got out of the inning as the last UMW batter grounded out to shortstop.

Morris picked up the win in the circle as she tossed seven innings. She allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits. She walked five and struck out a career-high six.

Irving hit 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Naples was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and a run batted in. Mahiai went 2-for-3 with a double, one run scored, and three RBI. Lucado was 2-for-4 with a triple, a run scored, and two RBI. Nuckols hit 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base.

Randolph starts ODAC play this Saturday when it travels to Bridgewater. Game 1 of the doubleheader begins at 1:00 p.m.