MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The SUNYIT softball team opened its 2011 season by splitting a pair of contests on Monday during the week-long Snowbird Softball Tournament, which is being held in Myrtle Beach, SC.

The Lady Wildcats came out cold in their opening contest, registering just one hit in 16 at-bats and falling 8-0 to Randolph, which scored seven of its eight runs in the fifth and final inning.  Brittany Via led the way for Randolph with a three-run homerun in the fifth and also added two runs and a stolen base.  Brittany Willingham batted in two runs and scored one more, while Ashley Gardner finished with one run scored, an RBI and a stolen base.

The Wildcats came out much stronger against Eastern University in their second game of the day, picking up a thrilling 3-2 victory.  SUNYIT opened the contest with a run in the first inning when junior Juleah Vedder (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) brought home sophomore Lyndsey Brognano (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) on a single.  The Wildcats would maintain a 1-0 lead until the top of the third when they scored two unearned runs to stretch their lead to 3-0. 

Eastern would rally in the bottom of the seventh, with Maggie McGowan leading off with a homerun to left center and Tori Jacobson hitting a two-out, RBI single to cut the lead to 3-2.  Senior Meaghan McGurn (Slingerlands, NY/Hudson Valley CC) would not get rattled, however, striking out Eastern's next batter to finish the day with three strikeouts and seal the win for SUNYIT.

The Wildcats are back in action tomorrow when they take on Southern Vermont College at 9:00 am and Penn State Harrisburg at 11:00 am.