The Saline softball team was handed its first losses of the season Saturday when number-one ranked Farmington Hills Mercy took down the Hornets in a pair of close games.

The opener was a pitcher’s dual between the Hornets Karli Dorr and Mercy’s Kaitlyn Pallozzi.

Both pitchers were nearly unhittable through six innings with the Hornets getting just one hit, a single by Sydney Hastings into the seventh.

Dorr was stellar on the mound as well, allowing just one single into the seventh.

The Marlins got to Dorr in the seventh with a pair of singles to start the innings. After a strikeout and a sacrifice bunt, Mercy had runners on second and third with two outs and came up with the clutch hits for a walk-off 1-0 win.

Dorr and Pallozzi combined for 31 strikeouts in the game with Pallozzi fanning 17 Hornets and Dorr striking out 14 Marlins.

The second game saw Saline score two in the third when Lily Evens and Mackenzie Shelton opened the inning with singles. A Mercy error loaded the bases and another error scored two runs for a 2-0 lead. Saline still had two runners on by a line out double play and then a runner was thrown out at third to quickly end the inning.

Mercy evened it up with back-to-back RBI singles in the fourth and took the lead with two runs in the fifth.

Pallozzi came in for relief and struck out seven Hornets in the three innings she pitched.

Dorr, Reese Rupert, Clara Cherry, Delaney Lee, Ashley Malinczak. and Izzy Deveau each had hits for the Hornets to go along with the Evans and Shelton hits.

Saline picked up two more SEC Red wins earlier in the week.

The Hornets scored eight runs in each of the first two innings to cruise to a 16-0 win.

Ava Stripp smacked a three run homer for the Hornets. Lizzy Thibeault had two hits and two RBI, while Evans had a hit and two RBI, Lee two hits and a run scored, Delaney Lee two hits. Shelton, Jessi Phelp and Maddie Bellus a hit and RBI.

Phelps earned the win in the circle by striking out eight and allowing no hits in three innings of work striking out eight.

Saline then took down Skyline 15-0 thanks to a 12 run first inning. Dorr earned the win in relief, striking out three.

Cherry had a homerun and two RBI and Hastings two hits and three RBI. Deveau, Evans, and Shelton each had a hit and RBI.

Saline improved to 20-2-1 on the season.