SURPRISE, Ariz. Playing its first two games of the 2018 season, the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Ariz.) softball team split a pair of games at the OUAZ Anderson Spirit Classic. The Eagles dropped an 11-2, 5 inning decision to the College of Idaho in the first game before bouncing back with an 8-4 win over host Ottawa University. Freshman Haley Basye (Tucson, Ariz.) picked up five hits over the two games for ERAU, including three doubles, and drove in four runs.

Game 1
Opening against the College of Idaho, neither team scored in the opening inning. The Yotes broke through with four runs on four hits in the top of the second. Embry-Riddle (1-1) scored two of its own in the bottom half of the inning, with senior Daisy Hatcher-Taylor (Bakersfield, Calif.) doubled in the first run of the season for ERAU and then scoring on an RBI single by sophomore Elyssa Bramer (Lancaster, Calif.).

It turned out to be the only runs of the game for EARU. The College of Idaho came back and put the game away with a six-run third, highlighted by a two-run double by Angelina Romero. The Eagles were held to just one hit the rest of the way, with Colette Robert going all the way to pick up the win for the Yotes, striking out six over the five innings.

Game 2
Both teams scored in the first of game 2, with Basye driving home the score for Embry-Riddle with a single to center. After a scoreless second the Eagles struck again in the third when Basye doubled to the gap in right center to plate both runs.

Senior Olivia Ramos (Phoenix, Ariz.) started for ERAU and gave up just one run and one hit over the three innings, setting down Ottawa in order in the second and third. In the fourth the Spirit pushed across another run on a home run by Chelsey Runyon. Ottawa then jumped in front in the bottom of the fifth, taking advantage of a pair of errors to score a pair of unearned runs to take a 4-3 lead.

Embry-Riddle jumped right back in front in the top of the six when the Eagles banged out six hits, scoring five times. Junior LiAnn Ruth (Glendale, Ariz.) drove in the first two runs with a single, putting ERAU back on top for good. Embry-Riddle then picked up insurance runs on a run-scoring double by Hatcher-Taylor and RBI singles by senior Hannah DeLuna (Tucson, Ariz.) and Basye.

Junior Bailey Critchlow (Stockton, Utah), who replaced Ramos in the circle in the fifth, then closed it out for Embry-Riddle. She allowed just one hit over the final two innings, finishing with three innings over which she gave up four hits and a pair of unearned runs.