DANVILLE, Ky. -- The Denison softball team suffered a pair of setbacks on opening day of the 2020 season. The Big Red dropped the season opener to host Centre (8-2) before falling to Transylvania 8-0 in five innings.

In the Big Red's season opener, the host Colonels opened the score when Sarah Aubuchon's sacrifice fly to center scored Riley Anne Sharpe in the opening frame.

Senior catcher Lindsey Clemson evened the score when she belted her sixth-career home run to open the top of the second. Now trailing 3-1, Denison shrunk the deficit to one when Emilie Fisher and Clemson opened the fourth with back-to-back doubles to left.

The Colonels broke the game open in the sixth with home runs from Melissa Collins (three-run) and Abigail Harper (two-run). The pair of long balls gave the home team an 8-2 lead. Centre pitcher Amanda Morgan secured the win by getting Maggie Ballentine to fly out to right.

Clemson paced the Big Red offense, reaching base in all three plate appearances. The senior finished 2-for-2 with a double, home run, walk, two RBIs, a stolen base and a run scored. Fisher also had an extra-base hit. Senior pitcher Taryn Welch suffered the loss after allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits with five strikeouts.

In the nightcap, the Pioneers' Abby Frazier launched a pair of two-run home runs in back-to-back at-bats in the first and third innings. Transy's Becca Messing also came across to score in the third frame. Alyssa Nunn and Allyson O'Dell each singled in a run in the fourth to push the lead to 7-0, while a missed played ball in the field allowed Lexi Childers to score the game's final run.

Fisher, Claire Powell and Angel Ehrenschwender each recorded a hit for DU. Noelle Chovanec took the loss after surrendering five runs on five hits in two innings of work. Taylor Faulkenberg finished out the game, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits with five strikeouts.

Denison (0-2) will close out the weekend against Transylvania and Center at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively.