CLERMONT, Fla.—Gordon Softball dropped its first two games of the 2015 season, falling against two regional opponents in the sunshine of central Florida. Fitchburg State found some timely hitting in the middle innings to beat Gordon 5-0 in the season opener before New England College handed the Fighting Scots an 11-3 loss in game two. Freshman Emily Kline (Park Ridge, N.J.) led all Gordon athletes with three hits on the day, while also keeping things close against Fitchburg in her first collegiate start on the mound.
 
The Falcons got on the board early after Marissa Gemma (Leominster, Mass.) led off the game with a single. Gordon had chances to get out of the inning unscathed, but a pair of miscues allowed Gemma to eventually cross the plate to hand Fitchburg a 1-0 lead after the first inning.
 
Gordon was unable to find any rhythm in their first game outdoors, scattering just one hit over the first three innings. The Fighting Scots placed three runners on base during that time, but two of the three were thrown out on the base paths to eliminate any type of threats.
 
Fitchburg State produced offense in short bursts, hitting three doubles in the third inning to put two more runs on the board. Gordon's Kline only surrendered four hits over seven innings, but the long third inning put some distance between the two teams.
 
The Falcons added two more in the fourth frame without getting a hit. A leadoff walk and a throwing error on back-to-back plays put two Fitchburg players in scoring position with no outs. A double-steal and a sacrifice fly eventually allowed Fitchburg to take a 5-0 lead at the midway point of the game.
 
Gordon put together a few good innings offensively down the stretch, but no one would cross the plate for the remainder. Fitchburg State's Terri Ferrazzani (North Reading, Mass.) struck out 11 Scots on the afternoon to earn the win.
 
In game two, NEC became the beneficiary of some two errors committed by Gordon. The Pilgrims put an unearned run on the board in each of the first two innings to give themselves an early cushion.
 
Gordon answered back in the third inning with a pair of RBI knocks by Marissa Meenan (Wayne, Pa.) and Kline to tie the game at two a side.
 
However, a disastrous bottom half of the third inning made the difference in the end result. The Fighting Scots committed two errors in the inning to keep a Pilgrims rally going, allowing New England College to touch the plate seven times in the frame.
 
Kline doubled in another run for Gordon in the fifth inning, but it was too late for the Scots to come back in an 11-3 loss.
 
Gordon will look to get things going in the other direction on Tuesday with day two of their Florida trip. The Fighting Scots take on a good Lake Forest team at 5 p.m. before playing Becker in the nightcap at 7 p.m.