Clermont, FL... The College of New Jersey softball team was twice on cusp of picking up its first win of the season, but each time the Lions fell in extra innings offsetting a number of solid performances.
 
The Lions battled back from a pair of deficits before falling to Ithaca College 4-3 in eight innings and then dropped a 3-2 decision to Alvernia University in 10 innings.
 
Following the two games, the Lions fell to 0-5.
 
TCNJ has a single game on Wednesday, March 12 when they take on Rhode Island College at 9 p.m.
 
Ithaca College 4, TCNJ 3 (8 innings)
The Bombers used a sacrifice fly to center field to post an extra-inning win over the Lions.
 
That run offset a nice comeback by TCNJ that saw them come back from a pair of runs down on two different occasions. After the Bombers opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with two runs the Lions got one right back in the second. Sophomore Deanna Utter (Byram, NJ/Lenape Valley) got aboard with a double and then scored on a base hit by classmate Jamie Purcell (Nutley, NJ/Mount St. Dominic Academy).
 
Ithaca regained its two-run lead in the third with a run, only to have TCNJ once again close to within one in the fifth. This time senior Lindsay Williams (Roxbury, NJ/Roxbury) earned a two-out walk and came around to score a couple of batters later when senior Kristen Lake (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central) singled.
 
In the sixth, Utter drilled a lead-off home run to knot the game at 3-3.
 
Sophomore pitcher Katie Hourihan (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) deserved a better fate in taking the loss as she allowed only one earned run on six hits in 7.1 innings.
 
Utter went 2-for-4 at the plate, while scoring twice and driving in a run. Lake also picked up a pair of hits for the Lions, including a triple.
 
Alvernia University 3, TCNJ 2 (10 innings)
TCNJ went to extra innings again against Alvernia and the Crusaders scored the deciding run in the top of the 10^th inning and then held the Lions off of the scoreboard in the bottom half to secure the win.
 
Twice in the game the Lions battled back from a run down to pull even. Trailing 1-0 in the sixth, TCNJ knotted the score when Purcell singled to right to bring home Lake.
 
After the Crusaders went back in front with a run in the eighth, the Lions got even in the bottom half of the inning. Freshman Colleen Phelan (Tinton Falls, NJ/Monmouth Regional) started the inning on second thanks to the international tie-breaker, and later scored when Utter lofted a sacrifice fly to center field.
 
Neither team scored in the ninth setting up the deciding 10^th inning.
 
Sophomore pitcher Ashtin Helmer (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) was outstanding for the Lions in the circle despite taking the loss. She logged all 10 innings and yielded three runs with only one of them being earned. She also struck out 14.
 
Purcell carried the hot bat for the Lions collecting three hits, while Lake had her second straight two-hit game. She has also hit safely in all five games this season.