ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – The Case Western Reserve University softball team lost a pair of games on the opening day (Thursday, March 10) of the 2011 University Athletic Association Championship at Seminole Field. The day's games were pushed back due to rainy conditions and the Spartans fell 14-2 to 10th-ranked Emory University (GA) in the opener before dropping a 7-3 decision to the University of Rochester (NY) in the nightcap.

The Spartans have lost four in a row and will enter day two of the championship tomorrow at 2-6 overall against Brandeis University (MA) at 10:00 a.m.

In game one, Case grabbed a 2-1 advantage in the top of the second when freshman Courtney Branson (Orient, OH/Teays Valley) crushed a two-run homer – her second of the season. Things unraveled from there as the nationally-ranked Eagles (15-0) scored seven runs in their half of the second and followed with three each in the third and fourth to bring the eight-run rule into effect. Megan Light led the Emory charge with a home run and five runs batted-in.

On the mound, Jamie Melson pitched the first two innings to get the win, while freshman Makenzie Lein (Petersburg, MI/Ida) tossed two innings in the loss for Case.

In the night's second tilt, the Spartans fell behind 7-0 before mounting a three-run fifth inning. Branson continued her productive night when she knocked in junior catcher Ianna Wasser (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) with a single to center field and later scored on a passed ball. Another junior, Kaeleen Boden (Strongsville, OH/Holy Name) also crossed the plate on a fielding error to account for a third run.

Against Rochester, freshman Katherine Seo (Salt Lake City, UT/Olympus) started and hurled 4.2 innings with four strikeouts before being saddled with her first loss of the season (1-1).