ST. GEORGE, Utah (February 7, 2019) - Colorado State University-Pueblo softball split its opening day doubleheader on day one of the Courtyard Classic, dropping a 9-0 decision against Northwest Nazarene before bouncing back in game two by defeating University of Hawai'i at Hilo 3-1 on the first day of the three-day affair hosted by Dixie State.

In the season opener, Northwest Nazarene's Jordan Adams pitched a solid performance, tossing a no-hitter against the Pack. A walk issued in the sixth inning helped the Pack avoid a perfect game.

NNU went on top early, scoring one run in the first inning and two runs in each of the next two innings, getting to a 5-0 lead after three innings.

A delay of nearly two hours halted the game as tournament officials worked diligently to prepare the field before continuing play.

The ThunderWolves' Alyssa McWilliams (Fr., Windsor, Colo.) became the first baserunner after drawing a walk with one out but was left stranded following a two pop-ups on the infield.

Making her Pack debut, hurler Taylor Strupp (Fr., San Tan Valley, Ariz.) lasted 5.2 innings, giving up seven runs and six earned and allowed three walks. Strupp finished with one strikeout and was tabbed with the loss.

In game two, against University of Hawai'i at Hilo, senior catcher Michaela Burpee (Union City, Calif.) provided all the offense needed as she went 2-for-3 at the plate with a homerun and three RBIs to lead the way.

In the top of the first inning, leadoff hitter Isabel Griego (Fr., Loveland, Colo.) drew a walk to start things out and was followed by an infield single from Rachel White-Duran (Jr., Bernalillo, NM) that set up Burpee to hit a single up the middle, scoring the two runners.

Pack pitcher Samantha Riesen (So., Independence, Calif.) made her first appearance in a Pack uniform and was effective from the start. She did not allow a hit until the bottom of the fourth inning against UHH.

In the home half of the fifth, Riesen gave up a solo homerun with one out but settled from that point and closed the door on the Vulcans.

Clinging to a 2-1 lead through six innings, Burpee stepped to the plate in the top half of the seventh inning and belted a homerun over the left centerfield fence to pad the lead to two runs.

Riesen (1-0), came back out in the bottom half and after the leadoff batter reached safely, a groundout and two flyouts sealed the win for the ThunderWolves.

With today's performance, Burpee moves into 13th place all-time in CSU-Pueblo history in hits. She now sits at 144 hits all-time. Burpee is four homeruns shy of 6th all-time and four RBIs short of moving into the top ten in the category.

CSU-Pueblo (1-1) will next shift its attention to two day Friday when they take on Hawai'i Pacific at 10 a.m. and will close the day against Cal State East Bay at 12:30 p.m., at Canyon Sports Complex.