STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern softball team opened Sun Belt Conference play Saturday, splitting a pair of games with Troy. The Eagles took the opener 3-2 before falling 11-3 in six innings in the second game.

GAME 1: GS 3, TROY 2
The Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Lydia Witkowski and Emily Snider both singled and Witkowski eventually scored on an error to make it 1-0. After the Trojans tied it up on an RBI double in the top of the third inning, senior Emily Snider launched her sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center, to make it 3-1.

Meg Willis blasted a solo home run down the line to cut the deficit to one run in the sixth inning, but that's as close as the Trojans would come as the Eagles picked up the win.

Dixie Raley (W, 7-6) went the distance, allowing two runs on five hits. She picked up 10 strikeouts and worked around a pair of walks and five hit batters as only one of the free passes scored.

At the plate, Snider had two hits to lead the way while Witkowski, Mekhia Freeman, Shelby Wilson and Alesha Mann all had one.

GAME 2: TROY 11, GS 3 (6)
Troy capitalized on a pair of hit batters and picked up three hits to plate two runs in the second inning to get the scoring started. The Trojans plated five more in the third inning, highlighted by a grand slam from Becca Hartley. 

Abby Broome had a double in the third inning and eventually scored when Freeman reached on an error. In the fourth inning, pinch runner Haley Carter scored when Hannah Farrell reached on an error. In the fifth inning, Snider's sharp single up the middle drove in Witkowski. The Trojans ended things early with a two-run home run in the sixth inning to pick up the eight-run win.

Wilson, Snider, Witkowski, Broome and Morgan Robinson picked up the hits for the Eagles.

Kierra Camp got the start and was tagged with the loss while both Heather Felt and Amanda Chambers saw action in the circle.

QUOTABLES:
"It's hard to sweep in this league and I never want to lose a game, but I was happy with getting that first win today," said head coach Annie Smith. "I thought we played a great first game and we kept battling in the second game, but things didn't go our way. But we didn't give up and I like the way we ended the day. The goal every weekend is to win the series and we've put ourselves in position to do that tomorrow."

UP NEXT:
The two teams will wrap up the series with the rubber game on Sunday starting at noon.