CLERMONT, Fla. – The Clarion softball team opened its 2018 spring break trip on Sunday, falling by scores of 11-1 to California (Pa.) and 8-0 to Merrimack on the first day of the PFX Spring Games.  The Golden Eagles will be back in action tomorrow with games against St. Cloud State and Bemidji State.
 
Taylor Nonnenberg went 2-of-4 on the day with an RBI and a walk, though the Golden Eagles had some difficulty getting the offense going against the Vulcans and Warriors.  Natalie Else and Rebecca Kelley added hits in the late game against Merrimack while Haley Pszyk and Aryn Boyer had base knocks in the first game. 
 
Kelley (1-3) took the loss against the Vulcans, allowing eight runs, while Macy Rubin threw 2.2 innings of relief.  Sarah Gossard (1-3) took a hard-luck loss in the late game, allowing just two runs in five innings pitched.
 
California exploded in the first game of the day with home runs in each of the first two innings, building an 8-0 lead after a two-run blast in the bottom of the second inning.  The Golden Eagles got on the  board after Macy Rubin scored in the top of the third inning, but the Vulcans added three insurance tallies to bump the lead to 11-1 in the next half-inning.  That lead held throughout the remainder of the game.
 
The Merrimack game played out much more closely early on, with neither team crossing home plate until the fourth inning when the Warriors scored a pair.  It was still just 2-0 entering the sixth inning, but Merrimack scored twice then and added four more runs in the seventh to seal the win.