CLERMONT, Fla. - The Kalamazoo College softball team lost a pair of close games in Florida on Saturday.

Playing their third straight doubleheader to start the season, the Hornets were edged 2-1 by Middlebury and 8-4 by Chicago.

Middlebury scored two runs in the second inning of the opener. Kalamazoo scored its run on an RBI single by Angelia Evangelista in the bottom of the fourth. Kalamazoo had two runners on in the sixth and a runner on second in the seventh, but couldn't push the tying or go ahead run across the plate. 

Erin DuRoss and Evangelista each had two hits in the game.

Kalamazoo opened the Chicago game with a run in the top of the first, but the Maroons put four runs on the board in the bottom half. Kalamazoo trailed 5-3 after five innings, but Chicago extended the lead again with three runs in the sixth. Kalamazoo scored once in the seventh to cut the final deficit to 8-4.

Emma Patrash and Abby Anderson each had two hits including doubles. Patrash also had two RBI. 

Kalamazoo has a day off Sunday before returning to action with two more games on Monday.