The Park University softball program had a difficult time with the Eagles of Avila University on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo., as the Eagles go on to win both games, 3-2 and 13-3.

GAME 1 | L, 3-2 | Box Score

The Pirates benefited on a double-steal attempt that ended in an error by the catcher to allow Caroline Riffer to score and Halle Magee to reach third. A wild pitch then brought in Magee for a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Lauren Fiene was in the circle for the Pirates and after a scoreless inning in the first, Avila got on the board with a two-run home run to left center to tie the game.

Both pitchers held the offenses down, until Stangel for the Eagles hit her second home run of the day for the eventual game-winner in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Fiene pitched a complete game, allowing five hits, two walks, and striking out eight batters. Stangel was the starting pitcher for the Eagles and she went 6.2 innings with zero earned runs and only allowed three hits and three walks to Park.  

GAME 2 | L, 13-3 | Box Score

Dakota Rau began on the in the circle for Park and a costly error in the bottom of the first helped Avila score two runs. Two-out hitting by the Eagles in the bottom of the second inning added another run.

The Pirates came back in the top of the third inning to tie the game 3-3. Magee left her mark on the game with a triple to score Paige McPheeters and Emma James. In the next sequence, Kal Day hit the sacrifice fly to score Magee.

A solo home run for the Eagles regained the lead for them, which then set up a monstrous nine run inning in the bottom of the fourth to end the game in the fifth, 13-3.

A lead-off single then an error the next play allowed runners at second and third. Rau's day would end at this point with three plus innings pitched with eight runs allowed with four earned. Nia Muniz and Abbie Farmer would close out the rest of the inning. Farmer was able to shutout down Avila and stop the bleeding with one walk, zero hits, and two strike outs. Four hits, three walks, and one error allowed the nine-run inning.

Park will look to rebound in Wichita, Kan. on Friday and Saturday, March 1-2 at the Two Rivers Youth Complex for the Friends University Invitational. Park plays Friends at 11am Friday, York University at 1:20pm on Friday, Concordia (Neb.) on Saturday at 12:20pm, and Bethany (Kan.) on Saturday at 4:40pm.