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SALISBURY, Md. – The Gettysburg College softball team was literally robbed of a victory in its first contest of the spring as a potential game-winning home run was plucked from the air by the left fielder in a 10-9 loss to the University of Scranton at the Salisbury University Sea Gull Classic on Saturday. The Bullets also fell to Lynchburg College (5-1) and Shenandoah University (8-1) to close the opening day of the 2013 campaign.
 
Gettysburg (0-3) kicked off a busy spring trip with a back-and-forth battle with Scranton. The Bullets jumped on the board in their initial at bat with three runs, including a two-run single by Sam Bader (York, Pa./Central York). The Lady Royals scrambled back in front with five runs in their next two at bats.
 
Gettysburg tied the game in the top half of the third inning as junior Maggie Maguire (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) and freshman Steph Zengel (High Bridge, N.J./North Hunterdon) each came around the score after picking up hits. Scranton would answer in the bottom half of the frame with three runs, two of which were unearned.
 
Following a scoreless fourth inning, the two teams went to work with the bat once again in the fifth inning with Maguire leading off the frame with her first home run of the spring to center field. It was the junior's 11th career homer, leaving her just two shy of the school record. Sophomore Alexa Katz (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) doubled in another run to pull the score to 8-7.
 
After Scranton picked up another run on a bases-loaded walk, Gettysburg tied the game at nine with two runs in the top half of the sixth. Senior Katie Lang (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) plated the first run with her third hit of the afternoon, while junior Brooke Kalman (Edgemont, Pa./Pennridge) brought in the second by drawing a bases-loaded walk.
 
With two outs on the board in the sixth, the Lady Royals jumped in front with a bases-loaded RBI single by Caitlin McHenry. Gettysburg put on the rally caps in the top of the seventh as Maguire reached base for the fifth time on the day with a two-out single. Zengel followed up with a long drive to left field, but left fielder Karey Fortier reached over the fence to snag the potential go-ahead homer to end the game.
 
Maguire finished the day 4-for-5 with four runs scored and one RBI. She also reached base via an error in the first inning. Lang went 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Zengel and Kalman each posted two hits.
 
Lynchburg jumped on the board with three runs in the first inning and then held the Bullet bats to just four hits in a 5-1 win. Sophomore Melissa Tighe (Little Falls, N.J./Mt. St. Dominic Academy) posted two hits for Gettysburg, while Zengel drove in the team's only run with a single in the sixth.
 
Gettysburg put runners on the bases in each of the first five innings against Shenandoah, but the Bullets failed to capitalize and the Hornets scored in each of the final three frames to win 8-1. The Bullets loaded the bags in the first inning, but Shenandoah hurler Stephanie Cameron put an end to the threat with one of her eight strikeouts in the contest.
 
After the Hornets took advantage of three errors to plate five runs in the fifth, Zengel accounted for Gettysburg's only run with a solo home to left field in the bottom of the frame.
 
Zengel and Kalman each finished 2-for-3 in Saturday's finale.
 
Gettysburg will have plenty of opportunities to get in the win column this week as the Bullets move from Salisbury to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for a six-game stand at the Snowbird Tournament. Gettysburg will open the event against Juniata College and Mitchell College at 9 and 11 a.m., respectively, on Monday, March 11.