St. Louis, Mo., March 5, 2021 – The Washington University in St. Louis softball team opened its season with a pair of losses against a hot-hitting Transylvania squad Friday at the Westhill Fields in Ellisville, Mo.

The Bears fell behind early and couldn't recover in a 15-3 opening loss before putting up a battle in a 11-6 nightcap loss. WashU fell to 0-2 on the season while the Pioneers improved to 3-0.

Game 1

WashU struggled to slow down the Transylvania battery in the opener as the Pioneers jumped out to a 12-0 lead after three innings. The Bears got on the board with three runs in the fourth, but that was as much offense as WashU could muster against Transylvania starter Kameron Bowling. 

Natasha Ramakrishnan went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored to lead WashU while Eimear Cunningham went 1-for-2 with 2 RBIs. Holly Stoner (0-1) suffered the pitching loss for the Bears.

Game 2

The Bears struck first in Game 2 when Kayla Nommensen doubled to right field to drive in Katie Gould in the first inning. It was all Transylvania over the next four innings, however, as the Pioneers took a 7-1 lead into the fifth inning.

WashU responded with four runs in the fifth to cut the Transylvania advantage to 7-5. Nommensen knocked a 3-run triple to lead off the scoring followed by an RBI single by Nicole Hay to drive in Nommensen. 

The Pioneers answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth before adding three more runs in the sixth inning to take an 11-5 lead into the final frame. WashU got a few runners on base in the seventh, but was only able to muster one more run on an RBI fielder's choice by Hay.

Nommensen had a big Game 2 going 2-for-4 on a pair of extra base hits with 4 RBIs to lead the WashU offense. Also for the Bears, Ashley Kennedy went 2-for-3 with a walk, Gould scored three runs and Hay picked up a pair of RBIs. Madison Denton (0-1) picked up the pitching loss. 

The Bears look to bounce back Saturday with a 1 p.m. game against Buena Vista at the Westhill Fields.