SAINT LEO, Fla. – In a lightning-delayed opening to the series, the Saint Leo University softball team fell to No. 16 Rollins College by a 7-1 final score at the University Softball Stadium, Thursday evening.

The Lions drop to 28-12, 4-9 in the Sunshine State Conference while the Tars improve to 32-6 with a 12-4 mark in SSC play.

Junior Tiffany Thompson tallied a pair of hits while senior McKenzie Burns added a single and a stolen base to her season stat line.  Catcher Tori Thomas recorded a hit as the Lions were limited to four on the game.

Rollins added two runs in the opening frame as a costly error gave the Tars a 2-0 lead.  RC would add another run in the third to notch a 3-0 lead.

Saint Leo would chip in a run to its credit as Tiffany Thompson came around to score and decrease the Rollins advantage to 3-1. The Tars would double their lead in the fourth, adding three runs to jump to a 6-1 lead before chipping in the final run of the contest in the fifth, concluding with a 7-1 victory.

Rollins starting pitcher Niki Fogle (25-6) earned the win, scattering four hits across seven innings of work, issuing four walks while striking out seven batters.

Junior Alana Tabel (12-5) started in the circle for the Lions, pitching three innings while surrendering six runs off of six hits to garner the loss. 

Senior Ashley Ehlers pitcher four dominating innings in relief, striking out seven batters without allowing a hit. 

The Lions return to the field Saturday, wrapping up the series with a Friday twin-bill, scheduled for a noon start at University Softball Stadium. Live stats as well as a live video webcast will be available through www.saintleolions.com.

For more information on the Saint Leo softball program, visit SaintLeoLions.com.  Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.