LONGWOOD, Fla. (3/7/2020) -- The University of Detroit Mercy softball team had a rough start in game one and could not hold onto the lead in the second game as the Titans fell to Penn and Niagara on Saturday in the Sunshine State.

Detroit Mercy (2-20) saw Penn (7-3) get off to a quick start in a 16-4 contest and then had a 4-3 lead on Niagara (2-1), but the Purple Eagles came back to down the red, white and blue, 5-4.

Junior Ellie Boteler and sophomore Liz Paver each drove in two runs on the day and freshman Renee Trotman hit her first collegiate home run. Boteler now has six RBI in the last two days. 

Junior Regan Glenn and freshman Olivia Warrington combined to strikeout five Penn batters, while senior Liz Murphy sent down eight in her ninth complete game of the year.

The Titans will end their spring break week with a game against No. 11 Florida State tomorrow with the first pitch set for 11:30 a.m. 

Penn 16, Detroit Mercy 4
The Titans fell behind early as Penn took a 6-0 lead after two at-bats, but Detroit Mercy did not quit as sophomore McKenna Tanguay drove in Paver with a RBI double in the bottom of the second.

In the third, down 10-1, the Titans loaded the bases with no outs and were down to their final out of the frame when Paver delivered a two-run double.

Detroit Mercy added another run in the fifth as Trotman drilled her first collegiate home run. 

Glenn started and went two innings and picking up a strikeout and was followed by Warrington, who rang up four batters in her three innings. 

Niagara 5, Detroit Mercy 4
Detroit Mercy struck first as Tanguay led off with a walk and after moving to second on a bunt, Boteler drove her in with a double to left.

Niagara came back with three runs in the third, but in the bottom of the inning, the Titans went to work scoring three times to jump back in front, 4-3. After freshman Dana Vitale led off the inning with a single - her first collegiate hit - she came around to score on a double by freshman Reese Ruhlman. Boteler then tallied her second RBI double of the game to score Ruhlman and she later came around to score on a base knock by senior Jenn Lorenz.

The Purple Eagles tied the game in the fourth, but the Titans had numerous chances to get the lead back. 

 In the bottom of that fourth, the Titans had two runners on with two outs as freshman Jordan Hazel had a single and Vitale walked, but they didn't score. In the fifth, the Titans again had two runners on as Trotman and Lorenz walked with two outs, but the red, white and blue could not get one more hit. It was the same in the sixth as Hazel and Vitale singled and were on first and third with one out, but they were left stranded.

In the seventh, Niagara scored an unearned run to take a 5-4 lead and that is how it ended. 

Murphy had eight strikeouts with one walk and eight hits, giving up five runs, only two earned.

Boteler was 2-for-4 in the game with the two RBI and a run scored, while Vitale was 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored and Hazel finished 2-for-3.