LEESBURG, Fla. – The Macalester College softball team closed out the first day at THE Spring Games with an 8-2 victory over Beloit College Sunday afternoon at Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex. The Scots, who opened the day with an 8-0 loss to UW-Platteville, are now 5-3 on the season.

In the first game of the day, UW-Platteville (6-0) blanked Macalester on three hits in an 8-0 win. Senior Emily Pedersen (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson), junior Renee Nicholson (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) and first year Elizabeth Welch (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) had the hits for the Scots. First year pitcher Rileigh Morlock (Lincoln, Ill./Normal Community West) allowed five runs, three earned, on six hits over four innings of work. Pioneers' pitcher Taylor Roughen fanned six batters without a walk in a six-inning shutout.

Against Beloit (1-3), junior Sophie Futchko (Prince Frederick, Md./Huntingtown) drew a walk in the first inning and came around to score on a double by Welch for a 1-0 lead. In the top of the third, senior Mandy Morrical (Mount Vernon, Iowa/Mount Vernon) hit a two-run single, plating Futchko and Welch for a 3-0 advantage. Beloit broke through in the bottom of the sixth with two runs in and runners on second and third with two out. Junior Kaitlyn Pistorius (Parker, Colo./Legend) entered the game in relief and retired the next batter to end the threat.

Macalester responded in a big way with five runs in the top of the seventh. Senior Elsa Church (St. Louis, Mo./Kirkwood) hit a two-run triple to score Morrical and Pedersen, then first year Callia Holland (Akron, Ohio/Hawken) blasted a deep home run to right, her first homer as a Scot. Morrical also had an RBI in the inning. Pistorius retired all three batters in the bottom of the seventh to close out the win.

First year Tess Bojorquez (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) tossed four scoreless innings of relief to earn her first collegiate victory. She scattered three hits and struck out three and walked two in a solid performance. Pistorius sat down all four batters she faced on a total of 12 pitches to earn the save.

Macalester will face St. Norbert and Ripon on Monday, Mar. 11 at Hancock Park Ballfields in Clermont, Fla.