GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Lafayette opened the University of Florida T-Mobile Tournament with a 7-6 loss to Illinois Chicago (UIC) on Friday afternoon.
 
It was a back-and-forth game with UIC taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Anna Walker connected for a two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded.
 
The Leopards took their first lead when they pushed across three runs in the visitor half of the second inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Mary Grace O'Neill delivered an infield single to score Paige Sandidge. The next batter, Kylee Sweet, took one for the team to knot the score at 2-2. Olivia Catalina (single) scored on a wild pitch to give Lafayette a 3-2 advantage.
 
The Flames re-took the lead with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Carlee Joe Clark singled in two more runs with two outs in the inning as UIC led 4-3.
 
In the third, Lafayette re-tied the game at 4-4. The Leopards had runners on second and third with no outs following singles by Regan Dillon and Marisa Powell. With one out, Grace Hausamann hit a ball to shortstop who cut down Dillon at home for the second out. The Leopards tied the game when Powell scored on a throwing error by the shortstop.
 
Trailing 5-4 going into the sixth, the Leopards clapped back with a pair of runs with two outs in the inning. Catalina and Maggie Klug scored on a failed pick-off attempt by the Flames' catcher. The Leopards led 6-5.
 
The see-saw battle continued in the bottom half of the sixth, as Clark's solo home run knotted the game at 6-6 with a solo homer off Lafayette reliever Jacqueline Cal.

As the game moved to the seventh, Lafayette put runners on second and third with two outs, but could not break the tie.
 
In the last of the seventh Cameran Rios doubled home a run to capture the 7-6 final.
 
Cal (1-1) took the loss, throwing 1.1 innings while allowing two runs on three hits. Leopard starter Morrigan Gardiner gave up three earned on 10 hits with five strikeouts. Christina Toniolo, who started the game and later came back in relief, allowed three runs (none earned) on five hits over 3.1 innings.
 
The Leopards were no-hit in the night cap, as No. 14 Florida secured a 16-0 final in five innings. The hosts scored 10 runs in the first inning and were buoyed by a dominant pitching performance from Keagan Rothrock, who struck out 13 of the 17 batters she faced. 

Lafayette will be back in action on Saturday, facing UIC at 10 a.m. and Florida at 12:30 p.m.