HAMPTON, Va. – The Omaha softball team went 1-1 on the first day of the Blue-White Classic on Friday at the Lady Pirate Softball Field.  With the split, the Mavericks are now 11-12 on the season.

In the opener, Omaha trailed 5-1 after three innings but made it a close game scoring two runs in the bottom of the second before falling, 5-4.  Savannah Fisher went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI to lead the Mavericks.

In game two, the Mavericks routed tournament host Hampton 11-2 in six innings.  Kelly Pattison and Jessica Nelson combined for a 7-for-8 effort with six RBI and scored five runs.

The Mavericks continue tournament play on Saturday, March 10 against Albany at 8:30 a.m. (CT) and La Salle at 10:30 a.m.  Links to live stats are available on OMavs.com.

La Salle 5, Omaha 4
La Salle took advantage of an Omaha error in the top of the first to go ahead 2-0.  Leadoff hitter Emma Schweigert reached on an error to lead off the game, stealing second before Jackie Heim homered to left. 

The Mavericks answered in the home half of the inning when Jessica Nelson reached on a fielder's choice, and Kelly Pattison was hit by a pitch.  The pair then stole second and third, respectively.  Nelson came in to score on Emily Klosterman' s ground out. 

La Salle's first six batters reached base to start the third inning.  Schweigert opened the inning with a single and scored on Heim's second homer of the game to make it 4-1.  Lauren Morell drew a walk with the bases loaded later in the inning to score what would become the deciding run.

The Mavericks made it 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth.  Savannah Fisher led off with a double and came in to score on Demi Dobb's double.

Nelson and Pattison opened the bottom half of the seventh with singles.  Fisher then lined a single through the right side to score both runners to make it 5-4.  La Salle starter Reilly Gearhart (W, 2-2) induced a double play to end the game.

Fisher led Omaha at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI.  Nelson went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs scored, while Pattison finished 2-for-2 with a stolen base and run scored.  Emma Dargy also had a multi-hit game (2-for-3, two doubles).

Aubrey Hacke (L, 3-3) started and pitched 3.0 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks.  Laura Roecker pitched the final 4.0 innings allowing two hits while striking out four.  Gearhart tossed a complete-game, striking out five while scattering 10 hits with two walks. 

Omaha 11, Hampton 2 (6 innings)
Kelly Pattison blasted a two-run home run as Omaha unloaded on Hampton for an 11-2 victory to close out the first day of the Blue-White Classic.

Omaha jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.  Nelson reached on an infield hit and came in to score on Pattison's home run to left center.

Hampton cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom half of the frame.

The Mavericks struck for four runs in the top of the second.  Fisher opened the inning with a double followed by Demi Dobbs being hit by a pitch.  A batter later, Sydney Hampton walked to load the bases.  Natalie Mostek hit a two-run single through the left side.  Nelson then doubled up the middle to score two runs for a 6-1 lead.

Omaha added single runs in the third and fourth inning and led 8-2 after five innings.

UNO put the game out of reach in the top of the sixth.  Mostek and Nelson each doubled to open the inning and scored on a Pattison single to right.  After a pitching change, Pattison moved to third on a passed ball.  Pinch-hitter Aubrey Hacke singled to left field to make the score 11-2.

The Pirates loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, but Hampton retired the next three batters she faced to end the game due to the run rule.

Nelson finished 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored, and Pattison had three hits with a home run and 4 RBI.  Dargy (2-for-3, one RBI) and Mostek (2-for-4, two RBI) each had multi-hit games.

Right-hander Sydney Hampton (7-4) recorded the complete game win for the Mavericks.  Hampton struck out six, scattered eight hits and issued one loss.  The loss went to Allie Hotetz (4-4), who surrendered six runs on five hits with a walk in 2.0 innings of work.

Noting Today's Doubleheader
-    Kelly Pattison batted .833 (5-for-6) with a homer and four RBI over two games.
-    Jessica Nelson hit .750 (6-for-8) with two doubles, two RBI and two stolen bases against La Salle and Hampton.
-    Emmy Dargy finished the day hitting .667 (4-for-6) with two doubles.