Freshman Cora Bridgers pitched a gem in her first career start and senior Kristina Qualben slugged a pair of home runs as the Muhlenberg softball team split its opening games of the 2019 season, falling to Milwaukee School of Engineering, 11-9, before shutting out Eastern Nazarene, 4-0.

Bridgers pitched a three-hitter and struck out 10 to become the first Mule freshman to reach double digits in strikeouts in a game and the first since 2010 to toss a shutout in her first career start. She allowed just six baserunners, only two of whom reached second base, against a Lions team that scored 20 runs in winning its first three games. After beginning her career with three no-hit innings, Bridgers allowed a leadoff single in the fourth, then proceeded to strike out the next three batters.

Bridgers helped her own cause with an RBI single in Muhlenberg's three-run first inning. Qualben (pictured above, somewhere in there) provided an insurance run by leading off the third with a home run to center. It was her 14th career round-tripper, moving her into sole possession of second place on the program's all-time list. Her 13th home run, which came in the last inning of the MSOE game, was the 100th hit of her career.

Freshman Genna Cicchetti, who went 3-for-3 at the plate and caught Bridgers, also hit an RBI single in the first, while senior Kristy Selby drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly. Freshman Kristin Oberg had two hits.

In the first game, the Mules scored all their runs in two innings, coming from behind once and nearly a second time. 

Playing less than 12 hours after landing in Florida, Muhlenberg predictably took a while to get going on offense. The Mules had been held without a baserunner through the first four innings and trailed 4-0 before Selby broke the ice with an infield hit to shortstop.

Bridgers drove in the first run with a long double to left, and freshman Madison Palat brought in a run with a groundout in her first career at-bat.

Sophomore Ariana Feliziani lined a ball off the glove of the third baseman and hustled to second with an RBI, then came around to score the tying run when a bloop by freshman Sarah Karmazyn landed inside the foul line in right field.

The Engineers (6-3) scored seven runs over the next two innings to open up an 11-4 lead, but the Mules made it interesting by plating five runs in the top of the seventh. Highlighting the inning were a two-run single by senior Allyson Sweeney and Qualben's two-run homer. The game ended with the tying run on deck.