Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (2/8/14) – The University of Detroit Mercy softball team split its two games on Saturday of the Music City Classic at Belmont University. The Titans dropped their first game 6-2 to the host Belmont, before erupting for a 7-2 thumping of former Horizon League foe Butler in the nightcap at E.S. Rose Park.

Junior Kat Hoffman pitched a complete game in the win over the Bulldogs giving up five hits, two earned runs while striking out three. Eight different Titans recorded a hit in the nightcap including two for Kayla Kostich, while Katelyn Steffel and Sam Henderson both hit solo home runs.

"This was a strong win and great performance by everyone, capped off by a mature appearance from Kat," stated head coach Liz Walther (Young). "We came out with intensity and then poured it on throughout the game."

Detroit (1-2) came out swinging as a double from Christa McGahuey scored Steffel in the top of the first inning for a 1-0 lead, before adding four more in the second inning to break the game open early. Kostich, Julia Maksym and Karyn McCarty each recorded an RBI in the four run second.

Hoffman (1-0) started strong for the Titans in the circle keeping the Bulldogs hitless for the first two innings and scoreless until giving up a solo home run in the fourth and fifth inning. After a pair of solo shots, Hoffman rolled from there by throwing a perfect sixth and seventh to seal Detroit first win of the season.

Steffel and Henderson then matched the Bulldogs with a pair of solo homers themselves. Steffel went first with a blast in the sixth inning, while Henderson saved hers for the seventh to build the lead back up to five runs.

In the first game, Detroit scored first against Belmont after and RBI from Kostich in the bottom of the third, but the Bruins responded quickly with five runs on five hits in the top of the fourth. The Titans trimmed the lead to 5-2 in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single to right field from Hoffman, but that was as close as the scored would get. Detroit had numerous opportunities to tie or take the lead later in the game, but left nine runners on after loading the bases on three occasions.

Maksym made the start for Detroit and pitched 3.1 innings giving up two earned runs on four hits, before Hoffman came on in relief and threw 3.2 innings with four runs and four hits. Titan pitching held the Bruins scoreless for the first three innings.

Detroit will conclude the Music City Classic on Sunday when it faces ETSU at 12 p.m. (ET) at E.S. Rose Park on the campus of Belmont University.