FT. MYERS, Fla. - The Plymouth State University softball team picked up its first two victories of the season on Monday, defeating Worcester State College, 10-2 in five innings, and Lasell College, 5-4.  Both wins came in the annual Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic.

            The Panthers jumped out of the gate with a five-run first inning against Worcester State, thanks to five consecutive hits and a home run to left field by sophomore Sammi Romano (Kingston, N.H.)  PSU added solo runs in the second and third innings, and finished off the Lancers with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Romano finished with three hits in the game, while freshman Melissa Caiazzo (Portland, Maine) went 4-for-4 with three runs batted in.

            Sophomore pitchers Jenna George (Cumberland, R.I.) and Kat Roland (Norton, Mass.) combined to keep the Lancers at bay.  George allowed four hits and two unearned runs in three-and-a-third innings, striking out six, while Roland came on with an inning and a third of scoreless relief.

            PSU scored four runs in the first inning of the second game, and held a 5-2 lead after two innings.  The Panthers didn't score the rest of the way, but junior Courtney MacFarland (Hampstead, N.H.) went the distance in the circle for PSU and held off the Lasers to earn the win. She was helped by strong Panther defense, getting out of a bases-loaded jam without any runs in the third inning.

            Freshman Andrea Pydynkowski (Danvers, Mass.) led the Panther hitters in the second game, going 3-for-3 with a run scored.

            PSU, 2-2, gets back into action Tuesday evening in Florida with games against Salve Regina University (5:00 p.m.) and Edgewood College of Wisconsin (7:00 p.m.)

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