ALLIANCE, Ohio -- Mount Union's softball team dropped a pair of Ohio Athletic Conference contests to Otterbein 9-5 and 4-1 in the season home opener Saturday at 23rd Street Field.

Mount Union, now 10-6 and 0-2 in the OAC, collected 16 hits over the two games. Sophomore Allie Goldy (Painesville / Riverside) tallied four hits in game one while Brooklyn Hellman (Canton / Massillon Jackson) and Savannah Miner (Louisville) tabbed two hits apiece in game two to headline the offense.

Otterbein (10-6, 2-0 OAC) got on the board first to start game one with a two-run home run but Mount Union responded in the bottom frame to make it 2-1 off a Cardinal throwing error that allowed Goldy to score from third.

A single from Hellman scored two runs to give the Raiders a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second before the Cardinals regained control with another two-run homer to make it 4-3.

Mount Union tied the game at 4 with a deep fly ball from Maddie Pidgeon (Salem / West Branch) that scored a run in the bottom of the third.

Otterbein plated two runs in the top of the fifth to make the score 6-4. The Raiders got a run back in the bottom half with an RBI single from Anna Saxton (Boardman).

The Cardinals tacked on two more runs in the final two innings for the 9-5 win.

Alexandra Pasco (Wadsworth / Highland) struck out four batters over 5.2 innings of work in the loss for the Raiders.

In game two, the Cardinals scored two runs in the first and fourth innings off RBI singles to take a 2-0 lead.

Otterbein added runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to control the game 4-0.

Mount Union got a run in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI groundout from Miner but the rally fell short as Otterbein took the 4-1 victory.

Peyton Morrison pitched all seven innings for the Raiders striking out three in the loss.

The Raiders are back at the diamond on Sunday, March 24 against Case Western Reserve in a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Cleveland.