CLERMONT, FLA.  3/21/09 - The Keene State College softball team will return home with a 4-6 spring week record after dropping two games in Clermont, Florida on Saturday.  The Owls lost a 16-11 slugfest against highly-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater and dropped a 7-1 game to Buffalo State.  

            Falling behind 8-0 against Wisconsin- Whitewater, the Owls rallied to tie the game. Jenna Patnode (Surry, N.H.) had a three-run double in the second and the KSC scored five runs on six hits in the third inning.

             UW-Whitewater, ranked fifth according to D3softball, scored four runs in the fourth to go up 12-8. KSC got one run back in the bottom of the frame and scored tow more in the fifth on a two-run single by Stephanie Lavado (Wallingford, Conn.) to make it 12-11.

            The Warhawks, who took advantage of five Owl errors, got one in the sixth and three more in the seventh.

            Allie D'Amato (Bristol, Conn.) and Patnode led KSC's 13 hit attack with three hits each.

            Freshman Samantha Pratt (West Hartford, Conn.), the second of three Owl pitchers, took the loss.

            "The fact that we fought back against one of the top teams in the country shows the make-up of this team," said KSC Coach Charlie Beach.

            Keene State wasn't able to come back against Buffalo State, which gradually built a 7-0 lead against the Owls.  KSC only run of the game came in the seventh on an RBI single from D'Amato. 

            D'Amato had two of KSC's four hits.

            Freshman starter Ashley Clark (Brentwood, N.H.) took the loss for KSC. She gave up three runs on three hits with one strikeout and two walks over four and a third innings in the circle.

            Beach said he learned a lot about his team during the trip.  "We're a young team that needs to work on our defense," he said.  "Offensively, this team can score runs."