DUE WEST - The Lander softball team dropped both sides of a doubleheader in its non-conference, season opener Thursday when the Bearcats fell to Erskine College, 6-4 in the first game and 9-4 in the second.

Lander, which hosts Converse at 1 p.m. Saturday in a non-conference doubleheader, starts the season at 0-2, while Erskine is 2-0.

In the first game, the Fleet's Danica Newton (1-0) was awarded the win after striking out two, walking two and allowing three earned runs on seven hits in five innings.

Lander's Hannah Newton (0-1) suffered the loss, striking out three, walking one and allowing six earned runs on five hits in six innings.

Lander went up 1-0 in the first inning when Destiny Clyde went home on a Kasey Rogers fly ball to left field.

The Fleet came back in the second to take a 6-1 lead after Jacquie Hill went home on a bases-loaded walk, Sidney Smith drove in Mia Blochviak and Julia Cole, and Chandler Crawford smacked a three-run homer down the left field line.

Lander responded in the third with a two-run homer by Madison Moore to cut the margin to 6-3.

The Bearcats finalized the scoring in the seventh on Moore's RBI double that scored Clyde.

For the Bearcats, Moore batted 3-for-4 and Casey Wooten 2-for-4.

For Erskine, Smith went 2-for-3.

In game two, Erskine's Candace Fitch (1-0) earned the win after striking out six, walking three and allowing four unearned runs on five hits in the complete seven innings.

The Bearcats' Lexi Griffin (0-1) took the loss after striking out three, walking two and allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits in six innings.

Lander took the early 1-0 lead in the first when Clyde scored on Roger's fielder's choice.

Erskine came back and tied the game in the second on Christine Long's RBI single, then went up 2-1 in the third when Smith went home on Lydia Trexler's sacrifice fly.

The Bearcats regained the lead at 4-2 in the fourth when Moore and MaKenzie Smith scored on a fielding error, and Moore's sacrifice fly plated Wooten.

The Fleet regained the lead in the fourth at 5-4 after Reagan Davis drove in Cole and Brooke Rhinehardt, then later scored on a wild pitch. Erskine stretched the margin to 9-4 on Long's fifth-inning grand slam.

For Lander, Clyde and Rogers had two hits each. For Erskine, Smith and Crawford had two hits apiece.