CLERMONT, Fla. – Allegheny softball, which boasts one of the deepest traditions in Division III, posted mixed results during the first half of the team's season-opening run in Clermont, Florida. After dropping their first four outings of the spring slate, the Gators bounced back with two straight wins, including a strong win against a reigning conference champion and NCAA Tournament team.

Sophomore Stephanie Fort has excelled during the early part of the calendar and appears poised for an outstanding year. Through six games, Fort has been the team's top hitter with a .385 batting average while her on-base percentage from the clean-up spot is a staggering .579.

Nicole Rodi has provided a tremendous boost for the Allegheny attack. In her second year donning the Blue and Gold, Rodi has jumped out of the gate to post a team-high seven hits and seven RBI while batting .368.

The Gators are 10-for-10 on the base paths so far, including a 5-for-5 effort from rookie lead-off hitter Halea Hayden. She's also one of three hitters in the early going who has posted a slugging percentage over .400.

The Gators (2-4) opened the season on Sunday with a 5-3 loss to Hamline University. The Pipers were the 2011 runner-ups in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), and they used a three-spot in the fifth-inning to pull away for the win. Felicia Gowanlock paced Allegheny after going 2-for-3 with a run scored and a team-high nine putouts. Brittany Runh shouldered the loss for the Gators while Amanda Downey provided two innings of scoreless relief. Later in the day, Allegheny was dealt an 8-0 loss to the D'Youville Spartans, who rode a hot pitching performance to the opening-day shutout. The Gators, who managed just two hits, committed four errors.

Facing stiff competition the following morning, Allegheny was unable to secure its first victory while diving to 0-4 for the first time since 1991. The day began with a 4-0 loss to the Manchester Spartans, a vastly improving program which had opened the 2011 campaign with four consecutive wins. Again, the Gators were limited to just two hits, while Danielle Howe pitched a gem en route to the shutout victory.

Benedictine College came next, and the Eagles showed why they are the preseason favorite to repeat as Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) champions and secure another appearance in the NCAA Regional Tournament. The Eagles, who were 36-7 last season, were kept off the board through the first four frames thanks to a dynamite effort on the hill by Amanda Downey. Leading 1-0 with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, a critical error sparked a brutal inning for Allegheny as the team yielded six unearned runs. Sara Doan went 2-for-3 to lead the Gator offense, but the Gators were unable to overcome the inning en route to a 9-1 defeat.

Allegheny scooped up its first win of the season on Tuesday against Carroll University. Rodi plated a pair of runs with hits in the fifth and seventh while freshman Maureen Pallone picked up her first collegiate RBI with a single in the first. Both Rodi and Pallone finished the 4-3 win with two hits while Darian Outz authored another key knock with a lead-off double in the second. Brittany Rung tossed a complete game in picking up Allegheny's first winning decision of the year.

The Gators maintained the momentum throughout the day as they hammered Frostburg State, 11-3, in the second game of the twin bill. Fort was 2-for-2 with two runs and two runs batted in while Hayden and Rodi each drove home three runs. Hayden accounted for two of the team's four doubles while also authoring one of the team's stolen bases in a great effort for the first-year starter. Fellow rookie Natalie Persicsano went the distance to pick up her first collegiate win.