ROSEMOUNT, Minn. -- Kylee Persing (FY, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) hit her first collegiate home run and drove in two runs on two hits, while Jennifer Castillo (SO, Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn HS) hit a double and triple, driving in two runs while scoring two, as the Augsburg College softball team opened its 2009 campaign wtih a doubleheader loss to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls on Tuesday afternoon at the Irish Sports Dome.

Mindy Rudiger hit two home runs and drove in four runs while scoring three times in a 3-for-4 effort for Wisconsin-River Falls (2-0) in the first game, an 8-3 victory. Jamie Klein hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs for the Falcons in the second game, a 10-4 triumph.

In both games, late rallies keyed the victories for Wisconsin-River Falls. In the first game, the Auggies tied the game at 3-3 with a three-run third inning, keyed by a run-scoring single by Jessa Hinz (SO, Richfield, Minn.) and a run-scoring triple by Castillo. But the Falcons scored five runs over the next three innings to pull away, with a solo homer by Rudiger in the fourth and a two-run homer by Sarah Fern in the fifth. Fern ended up 3-for-4 at the plate for the Falcons.

In the second game, Augsburg held a 4-0 lead after three innings, with Castillo doubling home Tiffany Magnuson (SR, Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy HS) in the first inning, and Persing hitting a two-run homer in the third inning. But the Falcons came back with 10 runs over the next three innings, including a five-run fifth frame which was keyed by a two-run double by Rudiger and a three-run homer by Klein.

Sarah Green (SR, Winnebago, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS) pitched in both games, starting the first game and striking out two in four innings of work, while coming in to pitch in relief of starter Melissa Larsen (JR, Andover, Minn.) in the second game, striking out one. Larsen struck out two in 4.1 innings of work starting the second game. Magnuson and Steph Saxe (FY, Stacy, Minn./North Branch HS) also saw pitching time for the Auggies in the first game.

Augsburg has another doubleheader at the Irish Sports Dome on Wednesday (3/4), facing Wisconsin-Stout starting at 10 a.m.