CLERMONT, Fla. -- A home run each by Laura Ryder (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) and Brooke Lapia (Oakdale, Pa./Chartiers Valley) highlighted the Washington & Jefferson College softball team's split Saturday at the 2020 PFX Spring Games at Hancock Park. 
 
The Presidents dropped the first game of the afternoon by a 10-0 score to Millsaps College from Mississippi. W&J bounced back for a big 14-4 victory over Penn State Brandywine in the nightcap. 
 
Game One – Millsaps 10, W&J 0 (Five Innings) 
 
The Majors jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in the victory. Millsaps took advantage of a leadoff walk, a hit batter, a successful double steal of home and a fielding error in the opening inning to score four unearned runs. 
 
The early lead allowed the Majors to play with confidence in all facets of the game. Millsaps recorded four consecutive singles in the second inning as they tacked on five more runs on five hits to swell the lead to 9-0. Millsaps added its final run in the bottom of the third inning to claim the 10-0 victory. 
 
W&J had just two runners reach base, as Ryder laced a single to left center and Brooke Shuck (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) drew a walk in the top of the fifth. 
 
Kristen Fuertes (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) suffered the loss in the circle, as her record fell to 1-1 in 2020. 
 
The loss dropped W&J to 2-1 while Millsaps improved to 9-6 overall. 

Game Two – W&J 14, Penn State Brandywine 4
 
The Presidents offense scored early and often in the nightcap. W&J racked up 14 runs on 17 hits in the game two victory. 
 
W&J built leads of 3-1, 6-3 and 9-3 before putting the game away with five additional runs in the top of the seventh. 
 
Peyton Eckenrode (York Haven, Pa./Northeastern) was a catalyst for the offense in both the first few innings. Eckenrode singled and stole second before scoring in each inning. Ryder smacked a leadoff home run in the third inning to push the lead to 6-3. 
 
In the big seventh inning, Brooke Stout (Berwick, Pa/Berwick Area Senior)  singled home Eckenrode to make the score 11-4. Two batters later, Lappe crushed a home run that bounced off the top of the fence and over for a three-run blast. 

Lapia finished with a 4-for-5 effort in game two. The senior tallied five RBI and a pair of runs scored. Eckenrode finished with three hits and three runs scored. 
 
Alisha Kulka (Hanover, Pa./South Western) improved to 2-0 in the circle. The sophomore allowed just one earned run in 7.0 innings. 
 
Up Next: W&J faces North Park (10:15 a.m.) and Penn State Hazelton (2:30 p.m.) on Sunday at the Spring Games. The games will be played at the Sleepy Hollow Complex in Leesburg, Fla.