CLERMONT, Fla. – The IUP softball team dropped its final two games at The Spring Games in Florida, falling to Minnesota Duluth 5-1 and Saginaw Valley State 1-0 in eight innings late on Thursday.
 
The losses drop the Crimson Hawks to 7-5 after 12 games in Florida. They head to Salem, Va. for a four-game tournament this weekend.
 
IUP scored first against Duluth, starting things going with a leadoff single by Allison Viguers (West Chester/West Chester East). Taylor Barna (Easton, Pa./Easton Area High School ) came in as a pinch runner, moving up to second on a ground out and then to third on a pitch in the dirt. The bases were loaded two batters later, and Barna came home on an error by the shortstop.
 
Lauren Zola (Pittsburgh, PA/Seton-La Salle) tossed four shutout innings, getting out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth. Duluth got to her in the fifth, scoring five runs before Megan Risinger (Creekside, PA/Marion Center) entered in relief.
 
Both Viguers and Hannah Mercer (Hollidaysburg/Hollidaysburg Area) went 2-for-4.
 
Mercer added three hits and reached base a fourth time in the 1-0 loss to Saginaw Valley State. Brooke Darling (Springville, PA/Elk Lake) went 7.2 innings in the circle, giving up just four hits and striking out seven batters. Saginaw Valley scored the winning run on a deep fly to left, scoring the runner on third.
 
The Crimson Hawks will face UVA-Wise and Le Moyne on Saturday and Concord and Glenville State on Sunday.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP softball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_Softball.