Kissimmee, FL: The Ramapo College softball team dropped two games to open the 2016 season at the Rebel Spring Games this afternoon. Rhodes College defeated the Roadrunners 5-2 in game one before Messiah took Ramapo's second game of the day 8-4.
 
In game one, the Ramapo defense stranded five Rhodes (15-4) base runners before the Lynx broke through in the top of the third inning. Rhodes led off with back-to-back hits before Karrah Flores drilled a three-run home run to take a 3-0 lead. Rhodes scored an unearned run in the fifth inning when Katelynn Bresler singled home Allison Long to go up 4-0.
 
Ramapo cut the lead to two in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ally Spellman and Shannon Cox led off with back-to-back singles before Danielle Saporito moved them up with a sac bunt. Mikayla Melendez then ripped a two-out single to right field plating both runs for the Roadrunners.
 
The Lynx got one run back in the top of the sixth to extend their lead to 5-2. Kendall Henry plated Christine Hume with a double to left field. Hume reached on single earlier in the inning. Rhodes held the Roadrunners in their final two at-bats to win their 15th game of the season.
 
Six Roadrunners recorded a hit in the game while Spellman and Cox each scored a run. Katrina Buczckowski (0-1) surrendered ten hits while striking out two in the complete game.
 
For the Lynx, Bri Maniscalco (7-2) went the distance with three strikeouts while she scattered six hits.
 
In game two, Messiah (9-2) took control early in the game scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Falcons used six hits to score five runs all with two outs.
 
Ramapo came back and scored two runs in the top of the second inning when Alex Rigoli and Shannon Cox each walked with two outs. Danielle Saporito then drilled a 2-2 pitch to deep center field for a stand-up triple, plating both runs for Ramapo 2-5. The Roadrunners scored two more runs in the fourth inning to come within one 4-5. Spellman led off the inning with a walk and later came around to score on an infield ground out to shortstop from Cox. Cox later scored when a ball was misplayed by the Messiah defense and went into dead ball territory as Cox was allowed to touch home plate.
 
Messiah then scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to extend their lead 8-4. The Falcons would hold Ramapo the rest of the way to earn their ninth win of the season.
 
Courtney Allen (3-1) worked the first 3.2 innings earning the win while she struck out four, walked three and surrendered five hits. Madelyn Yannetti worked the final 3.1 innings only giving up two hits while striking out one and walking one.
 
Christina Brizek (0-1) took the loss for the Roadrunners in the complete game. She struck out one, walked to and surrendered 13 hits.  Saporito and Melendez each recorded two hits for Ramapo in the game.
 
The Roadrunners return to action tomorrow when they take on Washington College (MD) at 1:30 and McDaniel College at 3:45.