OXFORD, Ohio (3/18/17) – The University of Detroit Mercy softball team fell victim to Dayton and Miami (OH) on a cold opening Saturday of the Miami Invitational.
 
The Titans never recovered after an early hole against the Flyers and fell 6-1 in the first game of the tournament. Detroit Mercy fell behind early in game two, but a homerun by junior Savvy Ferstle tied the game in the 2nd inning before the host Redhawks pulled away late for a 9-1 win.
 
Ferstle and sophomore Courtney Gilbert accounted for all three of the Titan hits on the day, with Ferstle smacking a homerun and Gilbert picking up a base knock in each contest. The Titans drew seven walks between the games, but stranded eight runners on base for the day.
 
In game one, the Flyers jumped ahead early with four runs in the first and added a run in the second to take a commanding lead. Dayton added a run in the sixth and the Titans spoiled the shutout with a run in the seventh.
 
Sophomore Ashley Mauser took the loss after allowing six runs on nine hits in six innings. Freshman Cami Sinclair came on in relief and posted a scoreless inning of work after a pair of groundouts and a flyout.
 
In the nightcap, Fersetle tied the game with a towering blast in the second inning, but it was all Redhawks after that. Miami scored four in the third and added a pair in the fifth and sixth to earn the win.
 
Freshman Liz Murphy got the start and allowed seven runs (five earned) on nine hits over five innings.
 
The Titans will look to bounce back on Sunday in the final day of the Miami Invitational. Detroit Mercy will square off against Fort Wayne before a rematch with the Redhawks.