The Lafayette softball team won one of their four games in the Elon Phoenix Invitational in North Carolina on Saturday and Sunday.

They lost their first game 10-3 to Oakland, falling into an early 7-0 hole. The team managed their first victory of the season later that Saturday afternoon behind five multi-hit efforts for a 7-3 win over La Salle.

In the first game of the Sunday twin bill against Elon, Lafayette struggled, losing 7-1 and only mustering three hits. In the second game, the Leopards rebounded, putting up eight runs in a 9-8 loss. Although the Leopards dropped the second game, their bats erupted for the most runs they had scored all season.

“We were able to come together as a team and regroup,” senior catcher Maddie Wensel said. “We took the strengths from the first game and played well in the second game. Everyone played a critical role in the second game which was good to see after that first loss.”

Lafayette put forth their offensive strengths in their second game, as scoring came from across the roster in their eight-run performance. The Leopards struck first with a grand slam off the bat of freshman first baseman and outfielder Hannah Lee in the first inning.

“I feel like I’m personally playing well,” Lee said. “I’m hitting well and contributing every opportunity I have.”

The Leopards’ lead didn’t last long though, as they fell behind 5-4 at the end of the first. The game was scoreless for three innings, until Wensel launched a two-run homer, giving the Leopards a 6-5 lead at the top of the fifth inning.

Again, the Leopards’ lead was short-lived, as Elon responded with a run of their own in the fifth to knot the game at 6-6. Elon broke through with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to put the game away. Lafayette put up a pair of runs in the seventh, but couldn’t manage the tying run.

Although the Leopards are off to a bit of a slow start in their season, they still have 14 non-conference games to turn their season around before Patriot League play.

“I’m very excited about this season,” Wensel said. “I really believe this team is unified. We’ve added a lot of a great bats to the team and all of our players have a distinct role and I think we’ll make a big splash in the Patriot league.”

Next up for the team is a matchup with George Mason this afternoon at 3:45 p.m. in Fairfax, Va., as the team kicks off the Cherry Blossom Classic.