CLERMONT, Fla. - The Elmhurst softball team opened its 2016 campaign by splitting a pair of contests at the NTC Spring games. Elmhurst toppled Stockton University 11-9 in its opening game before falling 12-1 to McDaniel College.

ELMHURST 11, STOCKTON 9 - Elmhurst erased an eight-run deficit and rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh inning to upend Stockton 11-9 in the Bluejays' season-opening contest.

Stockton (7-3) sent 12 batters to the plate in the second inning, including 10 reaching base consecutively, to break open up a scoreless game with eight runs. 

Elmhurst answered back in the top of the fifth inning. The Bluejays loaded the bases with one out and Morgan Evans scored the team's first run on a wild pitch. After a fielders choice led to a second run, Mikayla Melone singled home a run to make the score 8-3. A run-scoring fielders choice from Stephanie Hintz kept the bases loaded for the Bluejays and cut Stockton's lead down to just four. A bases loaded error on Stockton led to three unearned runs and pulled Elmhurst to within a run at 8-7.

Stockton tacked on a run in the bottom of the sixth to carry a two-run cushion into the top of the seventh. Brianna Thompson led off the inning with a single and Melone followed with an RBI double to bring the Bluejays to within a run. Faith Thompson singled to move Melone to third and Hintz gave Elmhurst it's first lead of the game with a two-run triple down the left field line. The Bluejays plated an unearned run in the frame to take an 11-9 lead into the bottom of the seventh before putting the game away. 

Melone sparked the Bluejays' offense with a pair of hits while also scoring twice and driving in two runs. Hintz added two hits and drove in a team-leading three RBIs. Bri Getzloff collected three hits for the Bluejays in the win. 

Stephanie Sturino made the start and then re-entered the contest to earn the save in relief. Val Perrelli picked up the win in relief, working two innings and allowing one hit and one earned run. She walked two while striking out one.

McDANIEL 12, ELMHURST 1 - McDaneil took advantage of a seven-run fourth inning to hand Elmhurst a 12-1 loss in a five-inning contest. 

After scoring three times in the third, McDaniel (8-8) sent 10 batters to the plate in the fourth and scored seven runs to take a commanding 10-0 lead. 

Elmhurst scored its only run of the game in the bottom of the fourth on Bekah Ondracek's RBI double. Elmhurst managed just four hits off McDaniel's starter Valerie Lamb. Lamb went the distance, allowing just one walk and one earned run over five innings of work.

Stefanie Sanidas made the start for the Bluejays and was tagged for the loss, surrendering 10 hits and eight earned runs in 3.1 innings. 

Elmhurst takes on Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Wisconsin-Platteville tomorrow.