CLERMONT, Fla. – Brooke Darling (Springville, PA/Elk Lake) tossed a complete game shutout win over Dowling, highlighting a Saturday in which the IUP softball team split a pair at The Spring Games at Hancock Park in Clermont.
 
The Crimson Hawks defeated Dowling 4-0 after dropping a tough 2-0 extra inning decision to Minnesota State Mankato earlier in the day. IUP is now 3-1 after two days in Florida.
 
Darling gave up just two hits and struck out four batters in seven shutout innings, improving to 2-0 on the season. Lauren Goetz (Cleveland, Oh/Cuyahoga Heights) scored IUP's first run in the third, stealing second after a walk and then coming around on a single from Taylor Mercurio (Pittsburgh/Seton-La Salle). She would later score on a throwing error as the Crimson Hawks led 2-0 after three.
 
The only other two runs came across in the fifth, as Megan Gould (New Germany/Forest Hills) and Hannah Mercer (Hollidaysburg/Hollidaysburg Area) singled in Alaina Montgomery (Greensburg, PA/Hempfield) and Goetz, respectively.
 
The Crimson Hawks received another fantastic performance in the day's earlier matchup from freshman Lauren Zola (Pittsburgh, PA/Seton-La Salle), but couldn't win in the pitching duel with Minnesota State Mankato. Zola scattered five hits, struck out three, and gave up one earned run in eight innings of work.
 
Zola held Mankato scoreless through seven innings, going to extras before a single brought two runs across the plate. With a runner on first and no outs, she got out of the jam to head to the bottom half down by two. The Crimson Hawks went down in order in the bottom half to give Mankato the win.
 
The Crimson Hawks will play Holy Family and Nyack tomorrow evening. First pitch at 5 p.m.
 
 For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP softball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_Softball.