Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Despite Megan Anderson hitting her second career home run, the Clarion University softball team dropped a pair of games on its opening day of the season Sunday in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
 
Anderson, the Golden Eagles' sophomore catcher, nailed a solo home run leading of the second inning of the day's first game, a 4-2 loss to Philadelphia University, which tied the game at 2 at that point. But the Rams answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to finish off the scoring.
 
In the second game, a 6-run second-inning by St. Joseph's-Long Island lifted the Eagles to an 8-0, five-inning, eight-run rule victory.
 
Both games featured the collegiate pitching debuts of a pair of Clarion hurlers.
 
Against Philadelphia, Paige Baker made her debut and had a solid outing allowing four runs, all earned, on eight hits and four walks while also striking out four. Her final three innings of work were scoreless, as she allowed three hits and three walks while striking out three.
 
In the St. Joseph's-Long Island game, Lyndsey Jones made her debut and other than the six-run second that was aided by a pair of calls that didn't go Clarion's way did a decent job. She allowed eight runs, seven earned, in four innings of work on 13 hits. She didn't walk nor strikeout a batter.
 
The first game saw Clarion take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first despite a hit.
 
Kirsten Wilcox led off with a solid at bat drawing a walk. She moved to second on a passed ball and to third on a ground out before scoring on a wild pitch.
 
Philadelphia answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning thanks to a two-run double to rightcenter by Gianna Bliss. But Baker worked out of the jam that saw runners on second and third with one out not allowing another run in the inning.
 
Anderson then tied the game with her solo shot, a blast over the centerfield fence 200-feet away, to tie the game in the top of the second.
 
But Philadelphia got the first two batters on in the second before an RBI ground out by Stephanie Martin and a two-out, run-producing double by Meaghan Lewis gave the Rams a 4-2 lead.
 
Clarion had runners on in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh but couldn't come up with the big hit to cut into the Philadelphia lead.
 
Freshman Casey Wilcox was 2-for-3 with a pair of singles in her collegiate debut, while Anderson was 1-for-2 with the home run and a walk.
 
In the second game, a wild second inning helped by the two calls gave St. Joseph's-Long Island complete control of the game.
The first play came with one out, a runner on third and two runs in for the Eagles.
 
Cheyenne Raimondi hit a grounder that Clarion third baseman Christina Tressler fielded. Tressler immediately noticed Gianna Guli, the runner at third, had strayed too far from the third-base bag and threw the ball to shortstop Casey Wilcox covering third. Wilcox's tag appeared to beat Guli, but Guli was ruled safe and Raimondi was also safe at first.
 
After Raimondi stole second, Lindsey Corriss hit a comebacker to Jones, who looked Guli back to third and threw to first appearing to get Corriss by a few steps at least. On the play, Guli broke for home and beat first baseman Taylor Powell's throw to the plate making it 3-0. But the field umpire, who was positioned nearly out in leftfield – deep shortstop – called Corriss safe at first.
 
So, instead of Clarion potentially being out of the inning down by just two, St. Joseph's was still very much in business, and to the Eagles credit they took full advantage of the two calls that went their way tacking on three more runs to take the 6-0 lead.
 
St. Joseph's then scored again in the third to make it 7-0 before adding an unearned run in the fifth to end the game with no one out in the fifth, 8-0.
 
Clarion had three hits in the game, singles by freshman catcher Jordyn Syfert, Tressler and Lydia Middaugh, who also walked.
 
The Golden Eagles are slated to resume action with a pair of games Monday when they play New England College and Southern Vermont in Myrtle Beach.