NEWBURGH, NY – The Mount Saint Mary College softball team opened their 2009 campaign with a 2-6 trip to Florida. The Blue Knights dropped a pair of games to Post University, split with Rivier College, lost two to Salve Regina University, and split with Cedar Crest College.

In the opening double-header, the Mount dropped games to Post, 12-0 and 5-2. Sophomore Jackie Governale (Plainedge, N.Y.) was 2-for-3 with a run scored in the second game and junior Christine DelPiano (Orange, Conn.) recorded an RBI single in the first inning. Senior pitcher Christina Maiocco (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) allowed just one earned run in seven innings.

The Blue Knights managed just four hits in a 3-0 loss to Rivier College on the next day. Freshman Danielle Orender (Wall, N.J.) was 2-for-3. In the back end of the double-header, the Mount picked up their first victory of the season, holding off Rivier, 3-2. Sophomore Sarah Johnson (Montgomery, N.Y.) drove a run-scoring double to right-center in the first inning and two more Mount runs scored on an error in the second inning. Junior Erin Dommermuth (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) pitched a complete game and didn't allow an earned run. She struck out five and earned her first win of the season.

After a day off, Mount Saint Mary dropped both ends of a twin-bill with Salve Regina. In the opening game, the Blue Knights took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to an RBI triple from Governale and a throwing error. After grounding into the first two outs in the top of the seventh, the Seahawks ripped off five straight hits, the last a two-run double to right-center that made the score 4-2. The Blue Knights had no response and went down in order in their half of the inning. In game two, Salve Regina blew open a tie game with three runs in the fourth inning to take a 6-3 lead. They added an insurance run in the fifth and held on for a 7-4 victory. Dommermuth was 1-for-3 at the plate and drove home three runs. Johnson was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. 

To close out the Florida swing, the Blue Knights split with Cedar Crest College. Dommermuth pitched a complete game five-hitter in the opener as the Mount won, 4-0. Johnson, Governale, and freshman Kyle Meditz (Sound Beach, N.Y.) each recorded a pair of hits. In the second game, the Mount pushed across two runs in the fifth inning to capture a 3-2 lead but couldn't hold on. The Falcons scored a pair of runs in the top of the sixth and held on for a 4-3 win. Johnson was 3-for-3 with a run scored and Governale went 2-for-3 with an RBI. 

The Blue Knights jump right into Skyline Conference action this weekend as they will host Farmingdale State College on Saturday and Sage on Sunday. Both double-headers are scheduled to start at noon.