The Hillsdale College softball team got off to a solid start on its annual Florida spring break trip over the weekend, rebounding from an opening loss on Saturday to win back-to-back games headed into the week.

Playing in The Spring Games in Bartow, Florida, just outside of Orlando, on Saturday, the Chargers couldn't overcome a slow start against a red-hot St. Martin's team that entered the contest on a six game winning streak. The Saints jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first two innings and held on for an 8-5 victory despite a late push by Hillsdale.

Sydney Davis keyed the rally for the Chargers, driving in two runs on a single in the bottom of the third inning and adding another RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to 4-3. Hillsdale couldn't hold St. Martin's in the top of the sixth, as the Saints plated three runs to restore their four-run lead, but the Chargers kept the pressure on in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run home run by pinch hitter Ava Stripp to close the gap to 7-5 entering the final inning. The comeback wasn't to be, however, as the Saints got an insurance run in the top of the seventh and put Hillsdale down in order in the bottom of the frame to seal the victory.

Davis was 2 for 4 at the plate with three RBIs to lead the Chargers, and Cayla Contreras chipped in two singles and a stolen base as well for Hillsdale. Katie Jonas (3-2) took the loss for Hillsdale, striking out two and walking one in two innings, and Grace Harris pitched the final five innings, with five strikeouts and two walks.

Hillsdale bounced back quickly from the loss, turning around a half an hour later and crushing Edinboro 11-1 in a five-inning mercy rule victory on the same field. The Chargers started fast, as Olivia Liguori hit a grand slam in the top of the first inning after Hillsdale had loaded the bases on three walks to give the Chargers a commanding 4-0 lead. Hillsdale added three more runs in the third, two on a two-run single by Maggie Olaveson, and two more in the fourth on a RBI double by Nathalie Hagle and a RBI single by Lauren Liguori. Ava Stripp locked in the early finish with another solo pinch hit home run, her second of the day, in the top of the fifth.

Both Hagle and Olivia Liguori were 2 for 4 at the plate to lead the Chargers offensively in the win, and five different Hillsdale players stole a base as well. Mackenzi Maxson got her first win of 2026 in the circle, going four innings with four strikeouts and two walks, and Gracelynn Kelly pitched a scoreless fifth inning of relief, putting all three batters she faced down in order.

On Sunday, Hillsdale traveled to the east side of Florida and the city of Viera to play in the Space Coast games. The Chargers faced off against Lewis in a battle of Midwest Region teams and a rematch of two contests in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, with Hillsdale coming out on top 7-4 in a rain-shortened game.

The Chargers never trailed, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Taylor Lewis scored Ronnie Craft from third after a leadoff triple by the sophomore outfielder to get the Chargers on the board, and Sydney Davis later scored on a first and third play in the same inning to give Hillsdale a 2-0 advantage. After Lewis got a run back in the top of the second, Hillsdale exploded for four runs in the second inning to seize firm control of the game. Hillsdale's first three batters of the inning reached safely, Craft started the scoring with a sacrifice bunt that drove in Medleigh Danchak. In the next at bat, Taylor Lewis smashed a triple to the right-centerfield fence that scored two more runs, and Davis drove in Lewis with a RBI single to right field to give Hillsdale a 6-1 lead.

Lewis refused to go down easily. Although the Flyers had just two hits in the contest, Lewis took advantage of Hillsdale walks and smart base-running to score three runs in the third and fifth innings, cutting the deficit to 6-4.

Hillsdale responded in the bottom of the sixth, scoring an insurance run on a Ronnie Craft RBI single to go up 7-4. The Chargers had runners at second and third and were looking to add to their lead in the bottom of the sixth when the rain hit, stopping the game. Both teams waited two hours to see if the storms would pass, but the rain continued and the game was officially called, with the Chargers earning the victory in six innings.

Craft was 2 for 3 at the plate with a triple, two RBIs and a stolen base to lead the Chargers in the win, while Emma Sather added two hits and Maggie Olaveson chipped in a double. Gracelynn Kelly recorded the win for the Chargers in the circle, striking out three and giving up just two hits in four and two-thirds innings of work, and Grace Harris earned the save, finishing the final inning and a third, striking out one, and giving up no hits and no runs.

The storms meant that Hillsdale's second game on Sunday, against Post, was canceled. That contest will not be made up.

The Chargers are now 9-8 exiting the weekend, and Hillsdale will play six more games in Florida throughout the week, starting with a trip to Florida's west coast and the University of Tampa to take on the Spartans in a doubleheader on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Tampa was the NCAA DII runner-up in 2025 and enters Tuesday's contests on an 11 game winning streak after a slow start to the season.