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INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 1-ranked UIndy softball team came up on the short end of a 5-3 decision Friday, falling to ninth-ranked Grand Valley State in game one of the 2013 NCAA DII Midwest Super Regional.  By dropping the opener of the best-of-three series, the Greyhounds (53-7) are in the unenviable position of having to down the talented Lakers (43-6) twice Saturday to advance to the Division II championship round.

In the only super regional to feature two top-10 teams, the Hounds were held scoreless in six of the seven innings Friday and consequently never held a lead.  The Lakers compiled four hits with runners in scoring position, one more than UIndy had total. 
 
GVSU's veteran pitcher Hannah Santora took a no-hitter into the fifth before finally yielding a safety and eventually three unearned runs.  Sophomore Taylor Russell made the Greyhounds' first hit count with a two-RBI double to the right-center gap.  Senior Kelsey Rummel followed with a single up the middle to score Russell and make it 4-3 Lakers, but that would mark the end of the Hounds' scoring.
 
In and out of trouble much of the day, senior Jennifer DeMotte (26-3) took the loss in the circle, giving up a season-high-tying four earned runs and five runs in all.  The Franklin Central grad escaped a two-on, no-out pickle in the second but could not avoid damage in the third when the Lakers pushed across two on a single from Midwest Player of the Year Katie Martin.
 
GVSU picked up two more tallies in the fifth, giving Santora (25-2) enough support to get the win.  Martin and Kayleigh Bertram finahed with two hits for Grand Valley, while UIndy's Alexa Alfaro garnered a single and a walk.

Freshman Morgan Foley struck out five in two relief innings of work.
 
The series continues tomorrow with game two starting at noon.  The third game, if necessary, is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.