LEESBURG, Fla. – The Wesleyan softball team suffered losses to Wisconsin-Platteville 9-2 and Susquehanna 8-5 in a Thursday doubleheader from Florida. Wesleyan (2-4) has lost three straight games after starting 2-1.
 
First up was a difficult task as the Cardinals took on a Wisconsin-Platteville side that came in with a record of 8-2. The Pioneers proved to be the better side throughout, generating three runs in the second and third innings each, while finishing the game with 15 hits.
 
Wisconsin-Platteville plated three runs on five hits in the 2^nd inning and followed with another four hits and three runs, taking advantage of two Wesleyan errors in the 3^rd inning, to hold a 6-0 lead.
 
The Cardinals had runners in scoring position in both the 4^th and 5^th innings, but came up empty, and the Pioneers added to their lead, nearly winning the game via mercy rule in the bottom of the 5^th. The Pioneers had the bases loaded with no one out, but managed just one run as Ella DeCrescenzo '27 escaped further damage.
 
Two runs came across in the 6^th for Wesleyan, as Waverly Smart '27 and Molly Lennon '26 both had singles to lead off the inning. A fielding error brought home Smart and Cat Palmer '26 executed a suicide squeeze play to make it 7-2 Pioneers.
 
Wisconsin-Platteville again was on the verge of a mercy rule win, but Revi Brown '23 entered with the bases loaded and one out and held the Pioneers to just two runs.
 
Smart led the Cardinal offense with two of the team's five hits in the game.
 
Game two saw Wesleyan build a 3-0 lead on three straight extra-base hits to start the game. Lizzie Marino '25 led off with a double to right, followed by an RBI double from Smart to center field, setting up Lennon who hit her first career home run up over the center field fence as the Cardinals led 3-0 before recording an out.
 
The River Hawks didn't get much going against Kelly Baker '26 until two runs came across in the 3^rd inning, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Wesleyan was unable to add to their lead after such a promising start and was made to pay as Susquehanna took the lead for the first time in the 5^th on back-to-back two-out RBI singles.
 
Wesleyan answered back with one run in the bottom of the 5^th, as Isabella Secaira-Cotto '25 had a two-out RBI single to center that scored Lennon, who reached on an error earlier in the inning.
 
However, the River Hawks came back in the top of the 6^th and scored three more. The first three batters of the inning all reached base and all three later came around to score, making it 8-4 Susquehanna.
 
The Cardinals didn't go away quietly, generating a chance in the bottom of the 6^th, with the bases loaded and one out. However, only one run came in as Marino lofted a sacrifice fly to left that scored Jordynn Killion '27 but a Smart pop out to short kept a comfortable three-run lead intact for Susquehanna who won by that final margin.
 
Hannah Docktor '24 and Rebecca Cassel-Siskind '26 both went 2-for-3 in game two while Lennon had the big hit with her first career homer.
 
Wesleyan looks to turn the page with a quick turnaround on Friday as the Cardinals prepare for another doubleheader with games coming against Lasell (1:45 PM) and Mount Saint Mary (4 PM).