Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ST CLOUD, Minn. – UW-Parkside softball opened its 2018 season on Friday, but the Rangers dropped both games of a doubleheader against Upper Iowa on Friday night in St. Cloud, Minn., in a pair of neutral site games.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @UWPAthletics

Upper Iowa won game one 3-2 and took game two 7-0 in both teams season opening day. In game one, the Rangers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after a Megan Aliverti hit an RBI double to score Kellie Fenza in the first inning, but Upper Iowa took the lead back on a three-run home run in the bottom of the second and never looked back. The Rangers made it a one-run game in the top of the sixth when Jessica Shields hit an RBI triple to score Allison Hrncar, but Upper Iowa held on to the 3-2 win.

In game one, Shields finished 3-for-4 with an RBI while Adrien Hall, Aliverti and Manders all went 1-for-4. Hrncar finished the game with 6.0 innings pitched, five hits, three runs and one strikeout.

In game two, Upper Iowa took an early 2-0 advantage in the first inning and held the lead throughout, scoring two more in the third and one run in each the fifth and sixth innings to come away with a 7-0 win. Parkside was limited to three hits, as Aliverti finished 2-for-3 and Fenza went 1-for-3. Bridget Jost started game two and went 4.0 innings while Hausl finished the final 2.0 innings of game two on the mound.

Parkside will face St. Cloud State on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to finish out the weekend.