KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Mount Union's softball team split a pair of games on the third day of their Florida trip, beating York 2-1 and falling to La Roche 8-5 on Tuesday.

The Spartans (3-1) scored the first run of the game in the top half of the fifth inning when Emma Keller scored on a passed ball to take a 1-0 lead. The Raiders (3-3) would come back to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, coming off an RBI single from sophomore Adri George (Eastlake / North). Then, in the bottom of the seventh inning freshman Kaitlyn Culver (Akron / Springfield) hit a walk off RBI triple to right field that brought home freshman Lydia Brunner (Minerva) and gave Mount Union the 2-1 victory.

Freshman Kendyll Cahill (Columbus / Grove Port Madison) pitched a complete game for the Raiders giving up just one run on eight hits, while also striking out eight.

The Red Hawks (1-5) would strike first in Mount Union's second game of the day when Kennedi Winslow hit a solo homerun to left field in the bottom of the first inning. La Roche would go on to score four more runs in that inning coming off RBIs from Garrah Milochik, Brandi Clyde and Abby Hoffman to take a 5-0 lead. The Raiders would answer with a run in the top of the third inning when Culver scored off an error from the Hawks right fielder.

La Roche would add to their lead in the third inning, the first two runs of the inning coming off an RBI double from Ashtin Hoover and the last one coming when Winslow scored off an error. Junior Ally Nittoli (Poland / Poland Seminary) hit her first career homerun in the top of the fifth inning to cut the La Roche lead down to 8-2. The Raiders would score another run in the top half of the sixth when Culver hit a sacrifice fly to score junior Michaela Folks (Wooster). Then, in the seventh inning Folks hit an RBI single to bring home freshman Emily Denney (Poland / Poland Seminary) and then junior Lydia Wacker (Wellington / Black River) drove home senior Alexis Temple (Mentor) with a sacrifice RBI. But the Raiders rally would fall short as La Roche would go on to win 8-5.

Senior Megan Zody (Westerville / Westerville North) got the start in the circle for Mount Union and gave up one run on one hit. Freshman Emmalee Marstellar (Vandalia / Butler) would come in and pitch 0.1 innings of relief and gave up four runs, three earned on three hits and struck out one. Freshman Mackenzie Herman (Hermitage, Pa. / Reynolds) would pitch 0.2 innings of relief and gave up zero runs on zero hits with a strike out before sophomore Becca Landis (Vienna / Matthews) would come in to pitch 1.2 innings, giving up three runs, two earned on four hits and struck out one. Freshman Chloe Bird (Norton) would pitch the final three innings giving up zero runs on one hit and striking out one.

The Raiders continue their Florida trip on Thursday, March 9 with a pair of games, taking on Coast Guard at 9 a.m. followed by Misericordia at 11:30 a.m. in Kissimmee, Fla.