NEW BRITAIN, Conn — The Quinnipiac softball team was unable to climb back from a five-run deficit, falling to Central Connecticut State 8-7 Friday afternoon.

Freshman infielder Skylar Warn and senior utility player Molly Bruyns drove in three runs each for the Blue Devils, while sophomore infielder Brooke Hilliard, senior infielder Lala Pascual and senior outfielder Serena Fogg all knocked in two runs for the Bobcats.

Quinnipiac got the 15-run affair going in the first inning when Hilliard walked and then advanced on a wild pitch. Moments later, Pascual went deep to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage.

However, CCSU came right back in its half of the inning. After the Blue Devils loaded the bases, Quinnipiac sophomore pitcher Sydney Horan walked in the hosts’ first run of the game, cutting the Bobcat lead in half.

Both teams were silent in the second inning, but it was the Blue Devils who exploded in the third. They got two runners on base on back-to-back errors by Bobcats freshman infielder Sofia Vega. Then, with the bases loaded, Bruyns cleared the bases with a double in the gap to give CSSU a 4-2 lead. After a single by freshman infielder Grace Lawton to put runners on first and third, Warn slapped a homer over the wall to make it 7-2 in favor of the hosts.

Serena Fogg drove in Pascual in the fourth to get one back for the Bobcats, but they still found themselves in a big hole after CCSU responded with another run of its own in the bottom half of the inning.

Vega got the Bobcats going in the fifth with a double and was later brought in on a Hilliard double that also brought in freshman infielder Mary Fogg, who reached on a single. The two-run double cut the CCSU lead to three, as the visitors trailed 8-5. Graduate student utility player Bridget Nasir plated Hilliard with a single, as the Bobcats suddenly found themselves down just two runs.

Though they were not able to muster any more runs in the inning, Quinnipiac had found themselves right back in the ballgame.

Horan shut out the Blue Devils in both the fifth and sixth, as the Bobcats headed to their last at-bats needing two runs to tie the game.

Hilliard, once again, got things started for the Bobcats in the seventh. After the California native walked and then stole second, Pascual walked to put the tying run on first base. Nasir came through for Quinnipiac, as Hilliard scored from second on a base hit to right field, moving Pascual over to third. Nasir stole second with Serena Fogg at the plate, placing two runners in scoring position with the Bobcats down just one run. However, Serena Fogg lined out to center, as the Blue Devils escaped with the victory.

The loss drops Quinnipiac to 11-9 overall. The Bobcats will return to play on Apr. 2 when they begin MAAC play against Niagara in Hamden.