MELBOURNE, Fla. (3/8/2026) – The Franklin Pierce University softball team opened the 2026 season with a pair of victories on Sunday at the USSSA Space Coast Complex, defeating Concordia-St. Paul, 3-1, before topping Gannon, 8-2, later in the day.

Game One – Franklin Pierce 3, Concordia-St. Paul 1
The Ravens earned their first win of the 2026 season behind a strong performance in the circle from Raylee Gilbert (Waterville, Maine).

Concordia-St. Paul struck first in the second inning when Nora Brandt tripled to drive in a run and give the Golden Bears a 1-0 lead.

Franklin Pierce responded in the bottom of the third. Alicia Ott (Stockton, Calif.) singled and Savannah Arreguin (Los Angeles, Calif.) reached before Charlit Hartenstein (Massapequa, N.Y.) delivered a two-run double to left field to give the Ravens a 2-1 advantage.

The Ravens added an insurance run in the sixth inning when Delaney Duford (Concord, N.H.) singled up the middle to score Georgia Clough (Barriere, British Columbia) and extend the lead to 3-1. 

Gilbert earned the win after tossing a complete game, allowing just one run on five hits across seven innings while striking out four and walking one. 

Franklin Pierce recorded six hits in the contest, with Arreguin, Hartenstein, Clough, Maisie Lerette (New Gloucester, Maine), Duford and Ott each collecting a hit. Hartenstein drove in two runs to lead the Ravens offensively.

Game Two – Franklin Pierce 8, Gannon 2
The Ravens continued their strong start in the second game of the day, scoring eight runs on nine hits to defeat Gannon.

Franklin Pierce struck first in the second inning when Ott launched a two-run home run to center field to give the Ravens an early 2-0 lead. 

After Gannon answered with a run in the third inning, the Ravens broke the game open in the fourth. Ott delivered a two-run single before scoring on a Gannon fielding error to extend the lead to 5-1. 

Franklin Pierce added three more runs in the fifth inning. Lerette drove in a run with a single, Zoey Galindo (Lakewood, Calif.) followed with an RBI double, and Ott capped the inning with another run-scoring single to make it 8-1. 

Ott led the Ravens offensively, finishing 3-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored. Galindo added two hits and an RBI, while Duford scored twice and recorded two stolen bases as Franklin Pierce totaled six stolen bases in the game.

In the circle, Kennedy Morris (Stafford, Conn.) earned the win after allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits over six innings while striking out five. Clough pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief with two strikeouts.

UP NEXT FOR THE RAVENS: FPU softball continues play in Florida on Monday, this time at THE Spring Games, when the Ravens face Ashland University at 4:15 p.m. before taking on Northwood University at 6:30 p.m. in Bartow, Florida.