SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – The University of Providence softball team kicked off their season against Bushnell on Friday with a double-header. The Argos (0-2, 0-2) lost 4-2 to the Beacons (3-5, 2-0) in the first game and 13-0 in the second game.

In the first game of the day, the Beacons got on the board first with a run in the top of the first inning. The Argos responded in the bottom of the fourth inning off an RBI single from Thornton, which scored McKenzie Staats. On the very next at-bat, Sam Hernandez singled up the middle, allowing Ryen Palmer to score to give the Argos a 2-1 lead.

The Beacons responded in the top of the fifth inning when Jordan Kuykendall recorded an RBI double to retake the lead 3-2. The score stayed the same until the top off the seventh, when the Beacons got another run to give them a two-run lead heading into the final half-inning.

Looking to extend into extra innings, the Argos got off to a promising start when Macy Mangold got on base with a walk. However, at the next at-bat the Beacons turned a double-play on a grounder from Taylor Mathews that stopped the team's momentum. The Beacons recorded the final out in the next at-bat to secure the 4-2 win.

"Carter threw a great game," head coach Joey Egan said. "We had that game in our fingertips and then we gave it away."

The Beacons came out on fire in the second-game, getting out to a 10-0 start at the top of the first inning. The Argos couldn't recover, allowing three more runs throughout the course of the game, eventually falling 13-0.

Mathews led the team with three hits, finishing 3-of-6 on the day. Thornton had a solid day on the mound, recording a total of seven strikeouts in seven innings pitched.

The coaching staff is looking to build off the successes they saw in the first game, which they believe reflects how competitive the team is.

"We got the jitters out today," Egan said. "We got our first games out of the way. We've seen them now and we know we can beat them. We have a plan and an understanding of how they operate. We're right there."

The team also plans to build off the impressive play from the outfield today and is hoping that success carries over on Saturday.

"Our outfield played great running down fly balls," Egan said. "Karlie had some great catches in center field. We're counting on them to be strong out there so they'll need to be solid again tomorrow."

The team will conclude the weekend with another double-header on Saturday. The first game will begin at 12:00 p.m. MTN.