Morris, Minn. – The Crown softball team opened the 2022 UMAC season with a pair of losses against the Minnesota Morris Cougars on Saturday.  A big first inning for the home team set the tone in game one and the Storm couldn't hold on to an early lead in game two.

Morris jumped out early in game one with an eight-run first inning and cruised to an 11-3 victory.  Ally Adams had a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score Liz Kemp who later plated Abbey Underdahl and Maliya Martinez with a ground-rule double in the fifth.  Kemp had two doubles in the game to run her season total to nine in just ten games. 

In game two, it was Crown who jumped out to an early lead, scoring five times in the bottom of the first.

Crown loaded the bases with one out, setting up an Underdahl single that brought home Kemp and Martinez.  Then, with two outs, Thiery Zachary doubled to centerfield, scoring Underdahl and Maria Lilienthal.  An Abbie Carrol single then scored Zachary to round out the scoring. 

Unfortunately, Crown would only be able to record one hit the rest of the game and the Cougars finally broke through, scoring seven times in innings four through six to take game two 7-5.
 
Crown will look to get back to winning ways when they take on Martin Luther in a home double-header on April 5^th.