The Mercyhurst Softball team fell to the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ) in Saturday’s doubleheader.

The Lakers fell by one run in the first of the two games, to a final score of 5-4, despite having scored more earned runs. Game two ended 8-4.

Nye came in for relief in game one to close out the seventh and pitched the final six innings in game two.

“Taking the losses to UPJ wasn’t easy, but the team knows what we need to do the next game to get a win,” said Nye. “This team always finds a way to come back stronger the next day, and that’s exactly what we plan on doing after the losses.”

The Lakers took the lead in game one after Kayla Larson scored her third homerun of the season in the fourth inning.

Junior Courtney Brothers scored in the fifth after she singled to right, and then came home on a passed ball.

UPJ took the lead in the top of the sixth, scoring five runs on four hits.

Larson stacked up two more RBIs in the bottom of the inning, driving in juniors Tawny Godin and Taylor Jezuit. The seventh was scoreless, making the final score 5-4.

Senior Alexandra Puckly started game two. Nye relieved her in top of the second due to five hits and four runs in the first inning.

Mercyhurst scored their first runs on a two-run homerun in the bottom of the third by Jezuit, bringing in teammate Alissa Petrosoniak.

“It always feels great to be able to push the runs across for my team because at the end of the day even if I bat 1.000, but we don’t score, then I didn’t do my job,” said Jezuit. “It was only my third of the season so to be able to get those runs and cut their lead in half was a great opportunity to change the pace of the game for my team.”

The Lakers came within one run of UPJ’s lead in the bottom of the fourth after sophomore Rachel DiBartolomeo tripled down the right field line. Nye then doubled to the right, bringing the score to 4-3.

UPJ added another four runs in the top of the fifth and the seventh, putting the Lakers at an 8-3 deficit going into their last at bat.

The Lakers posted one run in the bottom of the inning after Jezuit’s third RBI of the game, but it was not enough. Mercyhurst fell to the Mountain Cats, 8-4.