The Denison softball team suffered a pair of setbacks to St. Scholastica (4-2) and Bowdoin (6-3) on Wednesday in Clermont, Fla.

In the opener, Denison jumped out to a 1-0 lead thanks to a trio of singles.  Sophomore Julie Rooney led the game off with a base hit.  With one out, junior catcher Meghan Edwards laced a single that put runners on the corners.  The clean-up hitter, Rachel Laughlin, followed up Edwards' single with a base knock of her own that scored Rooney from third.  In the fourth, a throwing error by the Saints put runners at second and third with one out.  Senior Kelly Cunningham doubled DU's lead with an RBI ground out that plated Jess Robertson.

St. Scholastica led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk and a base hit.  After a fielder's choice out at third, Kasandra McCabe recorded another single to load the bases for Rendi Johnson.  With one swing of the bat, Johnson left the yard and turned a two-run decifit into a two-run lead.  Now playing with the lead, Saints pitcher Darcy Roach went into shut down mode as she allowed just one base runner in each of the final three frames.

Roach picked up her first win of the season after scattering five hits and surrendering one earned run in seven frames. Micah McGuiness and Jordan Spiering each posted two hits, while Johnson knocked in four runs.

Kelsey Hager suffered the loss after giving up four runs on nine hits in six frames.  Hager also fanned six batters.  Laughlin and Cunningham each drove in a run, while Rooney and Robertson represented DU's two tallies.

In the nightcap, Bowdoin broke a scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth.  The Big Red cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning when Hager singled in Rosie Glaser from third base.  Still a one-run game in the seventh, the Polar Bears loaded the bases and, with two outs, Gen Barlow launched a grand slam to extend Bowdoin's lead to 6-1.

In the bottom of the frame, Denison pushed across a pair of runs behind RBI singles from Gretchen Staubach and Rebecca Dyer.  Unfortunately, the rally fell short as Bowdoin held on for a three-run victory.  Dyer took the loss despite a career-high tying 12 strikeouts.  The junior hurler gave up six runs on eight hits in seven innings of work.  Offensively, Dyer, Laughlin and Robertson all recorded two hits.

Denison (3-3) wraps up its spring break trip on Thursday against Heidelberg (9 a.m.) and Westfield State (11 a.m.).