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CLERMONT, Fl. – The Kutztown University softball team was unable to halt its current skid on Thursday as it fell to the University of Minnesota Duluth 5-3 in the opening game, and 4-3 to Merrimack College off a two-run home run in the seventh inning on the third day of its spring break trip at the National Training Center.
 
The Golden Bears (9-8) were led in game one against Minnesota Duluth (17-6) by senior outfielder Maria Isgro (Galloway, NJ/Absegami). Along with having a multi-hit game (2-for-3), Isgro belted her first home run of the season that tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning.
 
The Bulldogs responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning including a solo home run of their own to retake the lead, 3-2.
 
Kutztown continued to show its fight in the third inning. It pulled off a double steal as freshman Rachel Lawes (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) stole home to cut the deficit to one (3-2). Jackie Hetzler (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) stole second on the play to put her in a position to score on a wild pitch with two outs later that inning to tie the game at 3-3.
 
However, Minnesota Duluth scored the final runs of the game with two in the fourth inning off a pair of one-out singles.
 
Dominique Ficara (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional (Hofstra)) was tabbed with the loss with six innings of work on the mound for the Golden Bears. She had one strikeout and allowed seven hits. The Bulldogs' Julia Nealer picked up the win with a complete game. She struck out four batters and also allowed seven hits.
 
In game two against Merrimack (1-2), Helen Gillis' two-run home run for Merrimack with one out sealed Kutztown's second setback of the afternoon.
 
Kutztown found itself needing to come-from-behind again. With two outs in the second inning, Merrimack's Kelli Jo Deardorff hit an RBI triple and was knocked in on an RBI single from Allison Berthiaume to give it a 2-0 lead.
 
The Golden Bears responded with three unanswered runs to take a 3-2 lead. Senior catcher Katie Lynch (Willow Street, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) hit a sacrifice fly to score Isgro in the fourth, Colleen Smith (Islip Terrace, N.Y./East Islip (Hofstra)) led off the sixth inning with her team-leading sixth home run of the season to tie the game, and freshman Krista Schauder (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown Area) hit a two-out RBI single to score senior Brianna Knipe (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) to give the Golden Bears the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
After striking out the first at-bat, Merrimack hit a triple, followed by the Gillis home run to take the 4-3 advantage in the final inning.
 
Mary Kociencki (Columbia, N.J./Sparta ) pitched a complete game for the Golden Bears. She had a career-high eight strikeouts, but allowed three extra-base this including two in the final inning to pick up the loss.
 
Kutztown returns to action on Friday, March 22 to play a pair of games. KU will take on Slippery Rock at 3 p.m., and the New York Institute of Technology at 7 p.m. at the National Training Center.