HOUSTON, Texas -- Lafayette softball began the 2026 campaign with a 2-1 loss to a 7-0 Incarnate Word team in the first game of the Houston Invitational.

The Friday morning contest is the first of a five-game swing in Texas hosted by Houston and Houston Christian. Lafayette will face Houston later today before playing Penn State and Houston Christian on Saturday and Michigan on Sunday.

Incarnate Word scored all of the offense it needed in the bottom of the first inning. UIW's first batter, Victoria Altamirano, lifted a 2-1 offering over the wall in centerfield for a 1-0 advantage. With two outs in the inning, Erin Perez doubled home another run for a 2-0 margin.

Leopard starter Sophia Alvarez-Backus settled in and retired the UIW lineup in order in the second and third innings. She faced just four batters in the fourth inning to keep zeroes on the scoreboard.

Lafayette broke through in the top of the fifth, manufacturing a run. Senior Dani Rosner used a one-out single to get things started. Classmate Maggie Klug followed with a single that put runners on the corners. Head coach Kelliner Croushore put on the third-and-first steal and Rosner reached home safely to trim the margin to 2-1.

Alvarez-Backus continued her solid outing in the circle, as she did not surrender a hit in the fifth or sixth frames. She finished the game, allowing two runs on two hits (all in the first inning) with two walks and two strikeouts.

The Leopards put a runner on in the sixth, but could not break through in either of the final two innings at Cougar Softball Stadium.

Emma Follis secured the win, allowing one run on three hits over 5.1 innings, while Bella Mitchell earned the save.

The Leopards next face Houston at 4:30 p.m. ET.