SALISBURY, Md. – The 21st-ranked Salisbury University softball team suffered its first setback of the 2020 season with a pair of 10-1 defeats to the No. 10 Virginia Wesleyan Marlins on Wednesday.

THE RUNDOWN

Game 1 Final Score: Virginia Wesleyan 10, Salisbury 1 (5 inn.)
Game 2 Final Score: Virginia Wesleyan 10, Salisbury 1 (5 inn.)
Records: Salisbury (7-2) | Virginia Wesleyan (5-1)
Location: Sea Gull Softball Stadium – Salisbury, Md.

BOX SCORE (GAME 1 / GAME 2)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Game 1

• Virginia Wesleyan was able to strike first in the game with four first-inning runs. Salisbury looked to respond with a lead-off hit by Dakotah Fraley that was scorched into the right-center gap but she was thrown out trying to stretch her double to a triple.
• Virginia Wesleyan added four runs in the top of the second and a run in the third to take a 9-0 lead. Salisbury got a runner in scoring position when Sami Mumford reached on an error and Jillian Jones was hit by a pitch with only one out. But, VWU's Hanna Hull worked out of the jam in the bottom of the third with a flyout and a strikeout.
• Salisbury was able to tally a run in the fourth when Natalie Paoli laid down a perfect bunt down the third-base line to score Emily Allen from third.
• Virginia Wesleyan got the run back in the top of the fifth to take the 10-1 lead and Salisbury couldn't mount a rally in the bottom half.

Game 2

• Salisbury fell behind early when Virginia Wesleyan scored a run in the first inning and three runs in the second inning.
• The Sea Gulls looked to mount a rally against Hull in the bottom of the third inning with the bases loaded and one out after a 13-pitch at-bat by Fraley. Once again, Hull got out of the third unscathed with back-to-back strikeouts.
• The Marlins plated six unearned runs in the fifth but Salisbury got on the board in the bottom half of the inning when Kaleigh Edwards doubled right-center to score Alissa Saverino from second base.

GAME NOTES

• Dakotah Fraley and Kaleigh Edwards each recorded a double in Wednesday's games. Edwards and Natalie Paoli tallied an RBI apiece.
• Emily Allen registered a hit in both games.
• Alyssa Taylor struck out a pair of batters in 3.2 innings of work in relief in the opener.
• Salisbury was the first team this season to score on two-time National Pitcher of the Year, Hanna Hull, with the Edwards RBI double in the nightcap.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury welcomes Clarkson and Oneonta for a weekend series starting on Saturday, Feb. 29.
• The maroon and gold begin the weekend against Oneonta on Saturday at noon.
• Live stats and video for the weekend's game will be on SUSeaGulls.com.