Denison suffered a pair of losses on Thursday at the Tucson Invitational Games in Tucson, Ariz.  DU fell to No. 9 Central, 12-2, in five innings, and Marian, 5-3.

Against Central, the Big Red struck first in the opening frame with an RBI single by Rachel Laughlin.  However, 12 unanswered runs, highlighted by a seven-run fourth, gave the Dutch a commanding lead.  Denison added a run in the bottom of the fifth, but it wasn't enough to overcome six defensive errors.

First-year Julie Rooney went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Kait Fiore and Heather Larsen scored the two DU runs.  Laughlin suffered the loss after allowing seven runs (four earned) on six hits in 3.1 innings of work.

Against the Sabres, junior Kelly Cunningham erased a 2-0 deficit with a two-run triple in the fourth that scored Meghan Edwards and Hannah Price.  Cunningham scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch to put Denison up 3-2.  Marian regained the lead for good thanks to a three-run triple by Emilie Jansen in the bottom of the sixth.  Sophomore Kelsey Hager (2-2) struck out eight and allowed just two earned runs in the losing effort for Denison.

The Big Red (5-3) closes out play at the Tucson Invitational Games on Friday.  Denison will take on Gustavus Adolphus at 8 a.m. MST and North Central at 10 a.m. MST.