PEKIN, Ill.  -  The Western Illinois softball team defeated Wright State, 11-2, and lost to Iowa State, 11-2, to open the 2009 season in their first-two games of the Country Inn and Suites Softball Invitational.

In game one against the Raiders (0-2), sophomore Erin Schlotfeldt hit a double down the left-field line, driving in base runner sophomore Nikki Marinec to score the first of six runs in the top of the second inning, making the score 6-0.

Sophomore Michelle Neubauer picked up an RBI in the third inning on a hit to the shortstop, scoring sophomore Colleen Biebel. Neubauer also scored a run off a hit to left field from junior Lauren Furgala, ending the third inning with a 8-0 lead.

The Westerwinds (1-1) scored three more runs off four hits in the fourth inning to put the team ahead, 11-0, sealing the victory.

Defensively, senior pitcher Kamren Ferguson gave up only one hit in five innings of work, walking one batter and striking out four.

In game two against the Cyclones (2-0), the Westerwinds were tied, 2-2, through three innings of play. A pair of RBIs from sisters Heidi and Kelsey Kidwell put the Cyclones up at the end of the fourth, 4-2.

Biebel and sophomore teammate Michelle Prieto would retaliate in the bottom of the inning as the each picked up a hit, but Furgala ended the inning as she grounded out to third base, leaving the two runners on base.

The Westerwinds only picked up three more hits the rest of the game, one coming from freshman Jamie Goss who hit a single in the fifth inning, another single from Prieto in the sixth and a single up the middle from junior Julie DePolo in the seventh.

The Cyclones scored one run in the fifth inning, two in the sixth and four in the seventh to defeat the Westerwinds, 11-2.

Junior Lori Pankratz picked up the loss for the Westerwinds, giving up seven hits and five earned runs in four innings of work. Freshman Ashley Campbell relieved Pankratz in her pitching debut for the purple and gold, completing three inning of work, allowing four hits and two earned runs.

The Westerwinds are back in action tomorrow in the Country Inn and Suites Softball Invitational as they face IUPUI at 4 p.m. and Bradley at 6 p.m. in the Dragon's Dome.

Postgame notes
In her first-two games for the Westerwinds, Goss went 4-for-8 from the plate, recording two RBI and scoring a run.

Senior Kamren Ferguson struck out four batters and only allowed one hit in her first game back after suffering a season-ending injury at the tail end of the 2008 season.

Postgame quotes
Head Coach Holly Van Vlymen

On tonight's performance
"I was very happy with our first day of play. Offensively, the girls did a great job of being aggressive both running the bases and at the plate. Defensively, we did really well in the first game, but we were a little shaky in the second game, but I thought our pitchers did a great job overall. It was our first game of the year, so that was something we expected to see tonight."

On Kamren Ferguson's performance against Wright State
"Kamren did great. It's her last season with the team and she is on a mission to perform well, to set records and any opportunity to compete. Overall, she is excited to be back and she is not going to waste any chance she gets to pitch."

On freshman Jamie Goss's performance
"Jamie was calm and composed at the plate. She was looking for her pitch and did a great job, she will definitely be one of our go to hitters this season."

On freshman Ashley Campbell's performance
"Tonight was her first game for us, and I think she did a great job for us for her first night. Her pitches were working and she did a great job of working with catcher Erin Scholofeldt, but she is going to have to make some quicker adjustments on the mound."