Mercyhurst softball team started their pre season scrimmages with a 7-2 win over Mercyhurst North East on Friday Sept. 26.: Jake Lowy

On a Friday afternoon of sunny skies and 80 degrees the Mercyhurst women’s softball team traveled to North East for the first scrimmage of the year.

Senior Alex Puckly is a pitcher who transferred from North East after her sophomore year there. Also, the team’s graduate assistant Kayleigh Milliman is a transfer from there.

While errors and miscommunication played a big role in this game, most of it came in the Lakers favor. Mercyhurst scored right away in the first inning, as Khyshwaunna Nance danced across the plate on a missed pop fly near second base.

The Saints also were able to score by taking advantage of an error in the second inning.

Things slowed down for a while as things stayed tied at 1-1 until later in the seventh inning when North East put another point on the board with a base hit.

However, the Lakers ended up taking advantage of many more errors and were successful in putting up four more unanswered points beating North East 7 to 2.

“The games in the fall help prepare us for the spring because it allows us to see a lot of our team in different roles,” said Coach Leanne Baker.

“It gives each player a chance to showcase how they can help the team when the games matter the most; in the spring.”

Though the Lakers do not play a regular season game until February, they are looking to improve off a 15-win and 26-loss 2014 season.

“I always tell the team we will be as good as they want to be. Right now we have a good chemistry and work ethic and the goal is to keep in going into the spring. We have started strong, now we want to finish strong when it matters the most,” Baker said.