Despite battling back from an early deficit, the IUPUC softball team came up short against the offensive onslaught of Calumet (IN), falling 17-6 in their season opener.

IUPUC got off to an encouraging start, with Shelton's two-run homer in the bottom of the first tying the game at 2-2. However, Calumet's bats then caught fire, scoring 5 runs in the second highlighted by Morales' three-run blast to take a 7-2 lead.

To their credit, IUPUC didn't go away quietly. In the third inning, the offense strung together 5 hits including RBI singles by Stieneker, Holok and Owens to cut the deficit to 7-6.

But the Calumet onslaught continued with runs in each of the next three innings to stretch the lead to double digits. IUPUC's pitchers struggled with command, allowing 15 runs over the final four frames.

Despite the lopsided final score, there were some bright spots for IUPUC. Shelton had a monster game, hitting the two-run homer while adding two more hits and scoring twice. Holok also had three hits and two RBIs in the losing effort.

Johnson reached base three times, scoring two runs and stealing a base. And Owens recorded an RBI single while drawing a walk at the plate.

However, IUPUC's pitching will need to be sharper moving forward after allowing 17 runs on 18 hits with four costly wild pitches against the powerful Calumet lineup.

IUPUC head coach Tommi Stowers remained upbeat after the tough opening loss. "We showed some fight there for a few innings, but just couldn't sustain it against a very good offensive team in Calumet. It's a good learning experience for us early in the year on areas we need to improve."