STOCKTON, Calif. – The Nevada softball team dropped its opening games of the Libby Matson Tournament on Friday as the team now moves to 3-9 on the season. The Wolf Pack began the tournament with a 5-2 loss to No. 7 LSU and then fell to Seattle U by a score of 7-2 in its second game of the day.

On the day, junior Alyssa Mendez went a combined 3-for-6 with an RBI and run scored. Against the Tigers (13-0), sophomore Haley Burda led the Pack's offense as her two-RBI double in the top of the second gave the Pack and early 2-0 lead.
 
Freshman Julia Jensen recorded another strong outing in the circle versus the perennial national power, tossing a complete game with seven strike outs and holding the Tigers to a .208 (5-for-24) batting average. Of the five hits that Jensen surrendered, three came off of bunts.
 
Nevada's six hits versus LSU marked the first time this season that an opponent has out-hit the Tigers, but the Pack's offense struggled to gain any momentum and collect timely hits. A four-run third from the Tigers proved to be the difference in the game as LSU took the 5-2 win.
 
In the Pack's second matchup of the day, the Redhawks (8-4) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first but Nevada answered in the bottom of the second with a run of its own. With the count showing 0-2, sophomore Sadaria McAlister singled up the middle to score Mendez from third and tie the score at one.
 
Seattle U would then score five unanswered runs to reclaim the lead at 6-1 midway through the fifth inning. After redshirt junior Jennifer Purcell led the inning off with a single to right field, Mendez would then bring around the Pack's final run of the game by scoring junior Syrina Vasquez, who pinch ran for Purcell.
 
The Redhawks pushed its lead back to five in the top of the seventh, which turned out to be all they needed to claim the 7-2 victory. Nevada will be back in action on Saturday with a rematch with Seattle U, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT.