Julia Culotta hit her first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the first game of the day.

SPARTANBURG, S.C.—The UMBC softball team (0-3) managed just five total hits in a pair of losses to the College of Charleston (4-6) Saturday afternoon at the Campus Suites Spartan Classic hosted by South Carolina-Upstate.

Game 1: College of Charleston 3, UMBC 2

The Cougars took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run homer by third baseman Kristie Shifflett, then added another in the bottom of the third on a solo shot by pitcher Shannon Howard.

UMBC got two back in the fourth when sophomore center fielder Julia Culotta (Street, Md./Harford Tech/Tennessee) homered to center.

But Charleston reliever Terri Mesko retired the final nine batters of the game in order to preserve the victory and pick up the save.

Howard (1-3) earned the win for the Cougars after allowing two runs on three hits in four innings. She struck out two Retriever batters. UMBC sophomore hurler Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) suffered her second straight complete game loss to fall to 0-2 on the season. She allowed three runs on four hits while striking out eight.

Game 2: College of Charleston 3, UMBC 1

The Retrievers tallied first in the second game, as a single by junior designated player Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) drove in sophomore left fielder Lynn Pronobis (Waldorf, Md./McDonough) for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

But UMBC managed just two more base runners for the rest of the game, and the Cougars scored three unanswered runs for the victory.

Shifflett drove in a pair of runs with a one-out single in the top of the third, and two Retriever errors in the seventh led to an unearned run.

Howard (2-3) went the distance to earn the win, allowing one run on two hits and striking out nine. In her first appearance of the season, UMBC senior Krista Kearns (Santa Fe Springs, Calif./Santa Fe) suffered a complete game loss, giving up two earned runs on six hits and striking out six.

The Retrievers return to action on Sunday, when they take on Presbyterian at 11 a.m. The teams will then be seeded, with the third-place game starting at 3 p.m. and the championship game at 5 p.m.