It was an up and down week for the Hornets? softball team as they started a very tough early season schedule.

With the first seven games of the season behind them and a 3-4 record to show for it, the Hornets can learn from the negatives and build on the positives. The positives being that they have won three games and that they have played Michigan, Ohio State, and Iowa State; all perennial top 25 teams.

The Hornets opened their season on Tues. Feb. 13 at San Jose State, splitting the doubleheader with the Spartans. The first game of the season was a 4-3, 11-inning marathon, which marked the beginning of a new era. Freshman pitcher Nicole Deatherage made her debut performance a good one by going the distance for her first collegiate win. Junior Lori Meixner drove in the winning run in the top of the 11th before Deatherage held off the Spartans in the bottom half of the inning.

Deatherage gave up eight hits and three runs while fanning four.

In the second game, sophomore Gina Steenburgen allowed 10 hits and five runs as the Hornets dropped to 1-1 for the season after a 5-0 loss. The Spartans? Sabrina Quintero tossed a four-hit shutout in handing the Hornets the loss.

The Hornets then headed to Poway for the Campbell Cartier Classic on Feb. 16.

In their opening game, the Hornets lost 11-0 to number 11 Michigan. Deatherage started the game and held the Wolverines to one run over five innings until giving way to Steenburgen in the sixth. When the smoke cleared, Rebecca Tone?s two-out grand slam gave the Wolverines a 10-run edge, enforcing the eight run mercy rule, cutting the game short. Deatherage and Steenburgen gave up a combined 11 hits, five walks, and five strikeouts. Marie Burda got the win allowing just two hits, one walk and five strikeouts.

The Hornets bounced back against San Diego State with a 6-0 victory.

Jillian Bivert tossed a five-hit shutout, the first of the season for the Hornets. Veronica Rodrigues went two for three with the Hornets? first home run of the season, along with her three RBI.

The Hornets posted another win against Northwestern, 9-4, fueled by the impressive play of Deatherage and Bivert.

Deatherage gave way to Bivert after five innings and picked up her second win of the season. Bivert, Amber Dragomir, Lori Meixner and Patty Villa each had two hits in the contest.

The Hornets dropped the last two games of the tournament to Ohio State and Iowa State on Sunday .

Steenburgen continued to struggle, scattering 11 hits en route to an 8-4 loss to the Buckeyes. The sophomore?s record now drops to 0-2 for the season.

In a 7-5 defeat to Iowa State, the Hornets fought back from a 6-0 deficit but didn?t have enough to hold on. Bivert picked up her first loss of the season, giving up six runs in just under two innings of work before Deatherage took over to finish it out.

The Hornets return to action on Saturday as they play host to Tennessee in a doubleheader.