KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Columbia softball team couldn't get its offense untracked as it dropped a pair of games on the second day of the Rebel Spring Games. The Lions fell to South Dakota, 3-1, and Temple, 9-1, in six innings. Senior Anne Marie Skylis hit her second career home run in the first inning against the Coyotes, briefly giving Columbia a lead in the first game. Classmate Karen Tulig had an RBI flyout to notch the Lions' only run against the Owls in the fourth.

South Dakota Recap
Skylis opened the scoring in the first inning, as she crushed a two-out, solo home run over the wall in left-center field to give Columbia an early 1-0 lead.

The Coyotes threatened to score in the first, as a pair of errors on the Lions gave them first and second with nobody out. After a sacrifice moved both runners over, senior Maggie Johnson came up big with a strikeout and foul out to get out of the jam.

Unfortunately for Columbia, South Dakota would find its offensive rhythm an inning later and scored three runs, all of which came with two outs. With a runner on first and two down, Jessica Lussman singled to right to put two on. Lindsey Boyd would follow with an RBI single to center, and stole second base to allow Lussman to score on the throw.

Stephanie Hall continued the Coyotes' momentum with their third straight base hit to plate Boyd and make the score 3-1.

From there, a pair of singles from first-years Emily Caruthers and Tristin Moone were the only hits for Columbia the rest of the way. Caruthers re-entered for Moone after her base hit and stole second with nobody out in the sixth, but was stranded in scoring position. Johnson worked a walk in the final inning but to no avail, as USD pitcher Erica Denney did not allow her to advance.

Denney picked up the win in the circle, allowing four hits and one earned run while striking out four. Johnson struck out a season-high six while walking none over seven innings.

Temple Recap
Temple scored five runs in the third inning, then tacked on two more in the fourth to take command of the second game of the day. The big blow of the third came in the form of a three-run, opposite-field home run by Devynne Nelons.

Another round tripper, this one a two-run shot by Samantha Schoell, put the score at 7-0 in the top half of the fourth inning.

Columbia would inch closer in the bottom half, as an error helped sophomore Alison Lam reach to lead off. Lam was advanced to second on a single from sophomore Jennifer Bergeron to put a pair on with nobody out. Both runners advanced on a groundout, and Lam scored on a sacrifice fly by Tulig. The South San Francisco, Calif. native made a nifty slide at the plate to avoid a potential tag by the catcher.

Temple came right back with a run in the top of the fifth, before the Lions threatened again in the bottom. First-years Emily Snodgrass and Caruthers smacked back-to-back singles to the outfield but Columbia couldn't take advantage, stranding both.

The Owls tacked on another run in the sixth to put the run-rule into effect. Bergeron led off the bottom of the sixth with a single, but was doubled up on a hard-hit line drive by Skylis. Kylie Kristovich would get the last Lion batter to fly out to right to end it.

Kristovich scattered five hits and allowed just an unearned run while striking out one to pick up the victory. First-year Prophet Gaspard suffered the loss in the circle for Columbia, allowing seven runs in 3.1 innings.

The Lions will continue play at the Rebel Spring Games on Sunday, March 13. Columbia will take on Eastern Illinois and Lafayette, beginning at 9 a.m.