CLEARWATER, Fla. - Western Michigan softball found itself on both sides of 2-1 games, opening the USF Under Armour Invitational with a win over Mount St. Mary's but falling to Villanova on day one.

The Bronco bats were quiet in the opener until the home half of the fifth inning.  Megan Stamm led off the frame by drawing a walk.  Marlee Wilson followed with a single to left field.  Two batters later, Loren Nagy reached on a fielder's choice and advanced on a wild pitch.  Pinch runner Emma Bogart advanced to third.  Melissa Palmer reached on an error to plate two runs for WMU, the only tallies the Broncos would need.

Mount St. Mary's cut the lead in half in the top of the sixth but starting pitcher Allyson Kus shut things down the rest of the way, allowing just one more hit over the next inning and a third.  The victory was Kus' fifth of the season.  Wilson, Christina Pigozzi and Mackenzie Ritsema were the only Broncos to record hits in the win.

Villanova plated two runs in the top of the second on a two-out single to left field.  Both runs were unearned.

Western Michigan, which out hit the Wildcats, 10-7, managed a run in the hom half of the third when Nagy sent a base hit to left field, scoring Ritsema who had reached earlier on a one-out single to center field.

WMU threatened to push the tying run across in each of the last four innings but stranded a runner in each frame.  In the last of the seventh Nagy singled to left field but was out on a fielder's choice to end the game.

Three Broncos had multi-hit games against Villanova, including Nagy, Jenny Rohn and Melissa Palmer.  Palmer hit her second double of the season, while Megan Stamm hit her third of the year.

Western Michigan continues at the USF Under Armour Invitational tomorrow against Central Arkansas (12:15 p.m.) and Quinnipiac (4:30 p.m.).