The seventh-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team began its 2019 season with a pair of losses on Saturday, as the Spartans fell 8-0 in five innings to Thomas More College and 5-1 to Transylvania University at the Pio Classic in Lexington, Kentucky.

The losses dropped the Spartans' record to 0-2 for the year, while Thomas More improved to 1-0, and Transylvania moved to 1-0.

Game 1: Thomas More 8, CWRU 0 (5 innings)
Thomas More scored a run in the first, a run in the third and then erupted for six runs in the fifth, en route to an 8-0 win over the Spartans in the first game of the day.

Sophomore Arisa Cleaveland, sophomore Dusstyn Reynolds and senior Nicole Doyle each had hits for Case Western Reserve, as the team's offense struggled to get anything started against Thomas More's Alix DeDreu, who earned the win in the game to improve to 1-0.

Junior Ilissa Hamilton started and suffered the loss for the Spartans, dropping to 0-1 on the season.

Game 2: Transylvania 5, CWRU 1
The Spartans took a lead in the bottom of the second after sophomore Sarah Miller scored on a passed ball. The Pioneers answered the following half inning with two runs of their own, to take the 2-1 lead.

The game remained 2-1 until the top of the sixth when Transylvania scored two more runs, increasing the lead to 4-1. The Pioneers added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to secure the 5-1 victory.

Miller led the squad with two hits, while Cleveland and Reynolds each tallied a hit during the second game of the day.

On the mound, sophomore Sidney Brannam allowed five earned runs on 10 hits and a walk, while striking out four batters. She fell to 0-1 on the year. Kameron Bowling earned the complete-game win for the Pioneers, improving to 1-0 on the season.

The Spartans will return to action on Monday, March 11^th, when the team opens up an eight-game road trip to Tucson, Arizona. The team will begin play with a pair of games at the Tucson Invitational against 22^nd-Central College and Millikin University.