MELBOURNE, Fla.-- The Fightin' Engineers softball team opened their season with a doubleheader against Grove City and Alma on Monday. The team earned a win against Grove City with a final score of 3-1, and suffered a loss to Alma with a final score of 8-2. 

In the first game against Grove City, both teams showed their strength defensively. After three scoreless innings, Rose-Hulman was able to strike first after a single from Kayla Schnippel brought in a run by Jadyn Winkler. 

Grove City answered with a run of their own to tie the game in the top of the fifth, but the Fightin' Engineers got their bats going in the bottom of the inning with a double by Phoebe Worstell that brought in Aubrey Smith and Katie Palmer for the game-winning runs.

Schnippel got the start in the circle pitching 4.0 innings of shutout softball, and Smith would earn the win pitching the last 3.0 innings of perfect softball as she did not allow a base runner.

In the second game, Alma got off to an explosive start jumping to a 4-1 lead at the end of the first. They added three more runs in the bottom of the second to increase their lead to 7-1.

The deficit would be too much to overcome as the Fightin' Engineers would fall short with a final score of 8-2. 

Rose-Hulman will continue their spring trip taking on Houghton and Eastern on Tuesday, February 27th at 12:15 PM and 2:30 PM.