CLERMONT, Fla. – The Moravian College softball team and its coaching staff admitted the path to winning a championship begins with win No. 1, and the Greyhounds got that in the season opener with a 5-1 victory over Thiel College on Monday afternoon in the Spring Games at the National Training Center in Florida.

The Greyhounds (1-0) erased a 1-0 deficit by scoring five unanswered runs and getting six shutout innings from sophomore starting pitcher Kiersten Cain, who picked up the win with a complete-game three-hitter with five strikeouts and one walk.

Junior designated player Lizzie Mack went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in the season-opening triumph. Senior catcher Cassie Ernst added a sacrifice fly and junior center fielder Dior George (1-for-3) plated two of the Greyhounds' five runs.

"It was absolutely important to start this week with a win," head coach John Byrne said. "You have to get those first wins under your belt and get rid of the nervousness. We're going to have some tough games this week and this season, and it's much better to start 2-0 rather than 0-2. I wouldn't trade those wins for anything, but we still have a ways to go."

Cain gave up an RBI single as part of a three-hit bottom of the first, but the sophomore hurler settled in and didn't allow another hit over the last six innings. She came up with key strikeouts with runners in scoring position to help hold the lead Moravian took back in the top of the third.

"Cane did a nice job keeping everyone off balance," Byrne said. "She had to settle down in the first inning. She was amped up and overthrew a little bit. It was nice to see her settle in and get six shutout innings to get the win. We can't give up any free passes, and she did that well today. She got strikeouts when she needed them; that's something we need and something we've been preaching."

George tied the game after a stolen base led to an error, and senior third baseman Rachel DeLucia scored on the play. Mack gave the Greyhounds the lead for good with an RBI base knock to plate George.

Moravian added on in the top of the fifth when George scored on a wild pitch and Ernst plated senior right fielder Miranda Sergas on an RBI groundout to make it 4-1.

Ernst helped add the sac fly insurance run in the top of the seventh when she advanced Mack, who scored on one of Thiel's seven errors on Monday.

Cain worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to clinch the victory.

"We ran the bases well and put pressure on them to throw the ball around," Byrne said. "That helped us squeeze in a couple of runs. We were a little overzealous the first time out at the plate. We were jumping out of our shoes, but we settled down and started getting harder hit balls."

Byrne stressed the importance of only striking out twice in the victory over Thiel and only giving up one walk on the base paths.