PHOENIX - The Mount Mercy softball team dropped a pair of one-run  games to Arizona Christian, 2-1 and 5-4 in eight innings, in their  season openers Thursday in Phoenix.

Madelyn Irwin pitched a strong game for the Mustangs in the 2-1 loss,  tossing all six innings and allowing just one earned run.

Mount Mercy collected only three hits in the first game. Jess Heick  drove in Morgan Braughton with their only run in the fourth inning to  pull the Mustangs within 2-1, but nobody score again.

Mount Mercy scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to tie the  second game, 4-4, but Arizona Christian won the game in the bottom of  the eighth to square its record for 2020 at 6-6.

Payton Bruner went 3-for-4 for the Mustangs in Game 2. Heick had two  more RBIs, Sydney Robertson scored twice and Emily Oler had two hits.

Game 1

Mount Mercy         000 100 0 - 1 3 1
Arizona Christian   002 000 x - 2 6 2

Irwin and Lyons. L - Irwin (0-1). 2B - Heick. SB - Braughton.

Game 2

Mount Mercy         100 010 20 - 4 10 3
Arizona Christian   012 001 01 - 5 8 0

Witzany, Oler (3) and Lyons. L - Oler (0-1). 2B - Brune. SB - Brune,  Heick. SH - Heick.