The Misericordia University softball team split a pair of games at the Sunkissed Games, Monday in Ocoee, Florida.
 
The Cougars beat St. Joe's (ME), 10-3, before falling to Heidelberg, 12-6.
 
In the opener, Amanda Butera, Maddie Holub and Jessie McDonough all had three hits.  Butera had a homer and three RBI.
 
Victoria Schmidt went the distance to earn the win on the mound.
 
Against Heidelberg, Lori Brennan hit a three-run homer and Butera and Kiersten Pflueger both had two hits.
 
Against St. Joe's, the Cougars took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.  Butera opened the game with a single and Holub walked and Jess Pluta was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Pflueger got MU on the board with a sacrifice fly and McDonough added an RBI-single.
 
The Monks tied in the bottom of the first, but MU went back in front with two runs in the top of the fourth.  Abby Marzzacco led off with a walk and stole second.  One out later, Butera singled and stole second to put runners at second and third.
 
Holub singled to drive in a run and Pluta forced in another on a fielder's choice.
 
The Cougars put the game out of reach with a six-run fifth inning.  McDonough led off the inning with a single and went to third on Brooke Moyle's single to center field.  Abby Marzzacco singled to drive in a run and Celia DeLong singled to load the bases.
 
After Moyle scored on a wild pitch, Butera blasted a three-run homer to make it 5-2.
 
Holub and Pluta both singled and moved up on a wild pitch and Erin Heslin's pinch-hit single scored Holub give the Cougars a 10-2 lead.
 
In the nightcap, Heidelberg jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Cougars cut the margin in half three runs in the bottom of the frame.
 
Butera led off with a single but was erased on Holub's fielder's choice.  Pluta singled to right field and Brennan followed with a three-run homer.
 
The Cougars scored two more in the bottom of the second and tied the game with a run in the third.
 
DeLong reached on a fielder's choice and came around on a double by Butera and Holub followed with an RBI-single to left field.
 
Brennan led off the third with a walk and moved to second on Pflueger's single to center and eventually scored on a throwing error.
Heidelberg went back in front with five runs in the fifth.
 
The Cougars are 3-3 and will face John Carroll and Ohio Northern, Tuesday.