GULF SHORES, Ala. – The Lamar University softball team split a pair of games Friday on the first day of the Sand Dollar Classic to open the 2015 season.

The Lady Cardinals dropped a heartbreaking 4-3 decision to Florida International in their first game before roaring back to claim a 9-2 victory over Jackson State.

“I thought it was a good day,” Lamar coach Holly Bruder said. “We played very well against FIU, a team that is one of the best in Conference USA. We stayed focused and took care of business against Jackson State.”

In the opener, Lamar trailed 3-0 before scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie things up. Casey Cromwell's two-run homer was the big hit for Lamar.

Florida International scored the winning run in the top of the seventh when Dominique Grossman scored on an Ashley Leon single.

Freshman Laura Napoli pitched a complete game for Lamar, allowing six hits and three earned runs, while striking out five.

“Laura was fantastic,” Bruder said. “We didn't give her any run support early. But I was very impressed.”

Against Jackson State, Lauren Dannelley pitched 4 1-3 innings of hitless relief to get the win. Dannelley walked three and struck out four. Marissa LeJune had three of Lamar's eight hits, while Ashley McDowell added two hits.

Lamar has two games on Saturday; facing Liberty at noon and Southern Miss at 3 p.m. Lamar wraps up its weekend by facing Eastern Kentucky at 10 a.m. Sunday.

“I think the way we played today should give us some confidence,” Bruder said. “We have some tough games remaining this weekend, but we know we can play with these teams.”

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