MIAMI, Fla. - The University of the Incarnate Word softball team split a pair of contests on Friday, falling to Florida A&M 8-4 in the morning before defeating Eastern Illinois 10-5 in the afternoon. UIW's record moved to 9-4 on the season. Friday was day one of three for the Cardinals at the Panther Invitational hosted by Florida International University in Miami.
 
Florida A&M 8, UIW 4
 
The Cardinals struck first in game one. Victoria Altamirano led off the contest with a walk. She stole second and came around to score on an RBI single by Jaisy Caceres, giving UIW a 1-0 lead.
 
The Rattlers quickly answered with five in the bottom half of the first courtesy of a sacrifice fly and a grand slam, claiming a 5-1 advantage after one frame.
 
Prisais Quintero began the second with a triple for UIW and crossed the plate when the next batter, Madison Dorrow, knocked a single to right-center. The senior moved to third on a base hit by Ayla Gonzales and scored on a sacrifice fly by Altamirano. The Cardinals pulled to within two, 5-3. 
 
Florida A&M tacked on in the middle innings. The Rattlers picked up two in the third and one in the fourth, building their lead to 8-3. 
 
UIW managed one more run in the sixth on a Sydney Zenon RBI single that scored Gonzales. They threatened in the seventh. The first two Cardinal batters reached base, but they were stranded and UIW ultimately fell 8-4.
 
UIW 10, Eastern Illinois 5
 
Bella Mitchell got the start in game two for the Cardinals. The senior tossed a perfect first and worked around a single in the top of the second, setting up UIW to get on the board first.
 
Quintero started the bottom of the second with a walk and moved from first to third on a sacrifice bunt by Dominique Guerra. She scored on a single by Dorrow and gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. 
 
Eastern Illinois tied the score with a run in the third, but UIW plated three in the bottom half. Altamirano led off with a single, Zenon followed with a walk and Quintero later earned a free pass to load the bases with one out. Guerra drove in the first run of the inning with a single, Dorrow accounted for the second on a fielder's choice and Gonzales contributed the third with a base hit. UIW led 4-1 after three frames.
 
After another Eastern Illinois run in the top of the fourth, the Cardinals added two more in that same inning with solo home runs by Altamirano and Jasmine Sierra. It was Sierra's first long ball of the year.
 
A 6-2 advantage for the Cardinals turned into a 6-3 lead going into the bottom of the fifth. They proceeded to break the game open. Walks by Aynsli Lawson and Caceres and a single by Gonzales loaded the bases for Altamirano, who deposited a grand slam over the center field fence, giving her team a commanding 10-3 lead.
 
It was Altamirano's second home run of the game and her team-leading seventh of the season. She has seven of the Cardinals' 16 homers this year and leads the squad with 20 RBI.
 
Eastern Illinois clawed back two runs in the seventh, but UIW closed out a 10-5 victory. Mitchell earned the win in the circle, her third of the campaign. She went five innings and allowed three runs, only two of which were earned, while striking out four and walking just one.
 
UIW (9-4, 0-0) is back in action on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. as it continues the Panther Invitational and takes on host FIU.