CLERMONT, Fla. – The Haverford College softball team picked up a 5-0 season-opening win over Pine Manor (Mass.) College Sunday morning but dropped an 8-6 decision to Dominican (Ill.) University to close out the first day of games over spring break.

Cassandra Searls and Lauren Gill combined for the shutout in the win over Pine Manor (0-1). Searls started and picked up the win striking out seven over five innings. Gill came on in the sixth and pitched the final two innings, striking out a pair while preserving the shutout.

The Fords chipped away at the Gators beginning with Alison Crawford's leadoff triple in the second. Laina Gagliardi brought Crawford home with an RBI grounder for the game's, as well as the season's, first run.

Catcher Laura Iwanyk copied Crawford with a leadoff triple to open the top of the third. Searls' RBI single through the right side pushed Iwanyk home and upped the Haverford lead to 2-0.

Shortstop Candice Smith sparked the Fords in both the fifth and sixth innings. After finishing 2009 with an amazing .545 batting average when leading off, Smith began Sunday's fifth inning with a double then later scored on a Searls sacrifice fly.

In the sixth, Smith's double brought home Haverford's final two runs though the Searls-Gill combo in the pitcher's circle had all the offensive support they'd need after the second inning.

In the day's second game, the Stars from Dominican rallied from behind to hand Haverford its first loss of the young season.

With Dominican (1-0) holding a 3-0 lead heading into the third, Crawford cleared the bases with a three-RBI double to pull the Fords even.

An Iwanyk RBI single later in the inning gave the Fords their first lead at 4-3 but the Stars would bounce back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning then would add three more in the bottom of the fourth.

Searls' RBI double in the sixth closed the deficit to 8-5 and a monster solo home run over the right field fence in the seventh from Iwanyk made it 8-6 but that would end the scoring, dropping the Fords to a 1-1 mark on the first day of the 2010 campaign.

Starter Lisa Karmel (0-1) struck out eight over four innings for Haverford then gave way to Maggie Cronin who struck out a pair over two scoreless innings.

Haverford continues its Sunshine State schedule over the break with Monday games against Lesley (Mass.) University and Hannibal-Lagrange (Mo.) College.