Mary Baldwin opened its softball season Saturday against a strong Lynchburg squad and the Fighting Squirrels dropped both ends of a doubleheader to the Hornets, losing 5-2 and 7-2.

In the opener, Lynchburg led 4-1 after three innings and held off the Squirrels for the 5-3 victory.

After Lynchburg's Bri Hodges belted a two-run homer in the top of the first to put the Hornets up 2-0, the Squirrels got one run back in the bottom half of the first. Marybeth Strickler led off with a single, stole second and moved to third on a groundout. Hadley May plated Strickler with a single, trimming the Lynchburg lead to 2-1.

With the Hornets leading 4-1, MBU scored twice in the bottom of the fourth to make it a one-run game.

Lacey Morris and Alana Gill opened the inning with back-to-back singles, but Morris was erased at third on an infield grounder for the first out of the inning. Maisie Spivey then singled to load the bases. Samantha Grimsley grounded out to second for the second out, but Gill scored on the play, trimming the deficit to 4-2. Strikcler then delivered a run-scoring single to make it a one-run game, 4-3.

The Hornets added an insurance run in the seventh to take a 5-3 lead.

In Game 2, the Hornets once gain jumped out to an early lead, this time scoring five runs in the first three innings.

The Squirrels scored twice in the fifth to pull to within 5-2. With one out, Keelie Sealock and Strickler each singled to put two runners on. Both runners moved up on Leanna Rankin's sacrifice bunt and both scored on a double by Emily Hall.

Strickler had a big day at the plate from her leadoff spot,going 4-for-8 in the two games.

Mary Baldwin is back in action Sunday when he Squirrels host Franklin & Marshall.