Raleigh, NC - The Oberlin College softball team concluded its season-opening four-game road trip to the Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Raleigh, North Carolina by falling to William Peace 2-1 and Ferrum 8-1. 

Rookie Hailey Alspach was impressive inside the circle for the second straight day as she kept the Racers hitters at bay for much of the contest in game one. 

Neither side was able to push across a run throughout the front three innings but the Racers would break through with a single tally in the fourth as Anna Suggs sent a single into center field that scored Logan Ayers. 

Oberlin would get right back to even in the top of the fifth as Lalli Lopez led off with a single and would later come in to score on an RBI groundout by Haley Bartsch. 

Alspach would pitch out of a bases loaded jam in the home half of the fifth to keep the score level at 1-1 but back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the sixth set the table for Angelina Jones' go-ahead RBI double down the left field line. 

Mia Brito would start off the Oberlin seventh with a single and Alaina Di Dio would get aboard on a fielder's choice to put two runners on with just one out but Katherine Murphy would induce a pair of ground ball outs to end the game. 

Alspach struckout five, scattering eight hits and four walks over 95 pitches of work. 

Errors loomed large in the setback against the Panthers as just two of their eight runs were earned with the Yeowomen defense committing four miscues in the loss.

Ferrum would score in each of the first five innings and never looked back as Panthers starter Lyndsey Sears stymied the Yeowomen hitters, allowing just one unearned run while fanning nine and walking just one over six innings of work.

Oberlin's lone run of the game came on a passed ball strike out as Lopez raced in from third. 

The Yeowomen had four hits with Maria Chutko, Kailey Dunham, Brito, and Lopez each getting one.

Jess Friedman would get touched up for six hits, two walks, and seven runs over 3.2 innings but all but one of those runs were unearned. 

Oberlin is scheduled to be back in action at home on Monday, March 13 against Albion College.