PEORIA, Illinois - The Prairie Fire softball team dropped a pair of games at the Louisville Slugger Dome in Peoria on Friday.

Knox dropped the first game to Mount Mary 3-1 in eight innings. The Blue Angels scored a run in the top of the fifth and the Prairie Fire tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Mount Mary scored two runs in top of the eighth to take the lead. Knox loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth. Ally Hyde scorched ball right at the third baseman, but it was fielded to cut the run down at home and give the Blue Angels the victory.

The Prairie Fire outhit Mount Mary 12-4, but came away the tough luck losers.

In game two, Elmhurst erupted for 10 runs in the third inning to complete a 10-0 win in five innings.

Eileen Sheetz, Liv Dunn, and Maddie Poetzinger all tallied three hits for the Prairie Fire on the day. Morgan Bean and Maya McEwen added two hits apiece.

Hyde allowed just two earned runs and struck out eight, pitching all eight innings in the first game.

"We played very well in the first game and really only had one bad inning all day," said head coach Erin Clark. "If we play like we did most of the day we will compete with most of the teams we play this year. It was great to get back on the field and see some first-years really excel in their collegiate debuts."

Knox returns to the Louisville Slugger Dome on March 2 to battle University of Wisconsin-Platteville and Augustana.