Lourdes opened up Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play on Saturday afternoon, dropping both games of a doubleheader to Cleary 4-1 and 4-2 at Lake Trust Stadium in Howell, Mich.
 
In the opener, Nicole Finazzo limited Lourdes to four hits in a complete game win in the circle.
 
Cleary scored single runs in both the second and third innings before adding two more in the fifth.  Lourdes scored its lone run in the top of the sixth as Annalisse Palma (Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview H.S.) singled to lead off the inning before eventually scoring on a flyout and an error.
 
Ashley Roth (LaRue, Ohio/Elgin H.S.) went the distance in the circle in game one for the Gray Wolves, striking out three without allowing a walk.  She yielded the four runs on 10 hits.
 
In game two, Cleary (5-13, 2-0 WHAC) plated four runs in the opening inning before Jenna Harris (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West H.S.) kept the Cougars off the scoreboard the rest of the way.  Harris allowed just four hits in the game, and just two after the opening inning.
 
Lourdes got on the scoreboard in the fourth, as Alyssa Ziegler (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold H.S.) singled home Ella Leonard (Lorain, Ohio/Midview H.S.), who singled earlier in the inning.  The Gray Wolves added an unearned run in the sixth as Leonard reached on an error and scored as Megan Richardson (Napoleon, Ohio/Napoleon H.S.) reached on another miscue.  In both innings Lourdes left the bases loaded though, six of 11 total base runners left in the game.
 
Ziegler and Richardson both had two hits in game two, and Richardson finished the day 3-of-6 at the plate.
 
Mercedes Cole scattered eight hits for the Cougars in the complete game win in game two.
 
With Sunday's doubleheader against Madonna already postponed, Lourdes (2-15, 0-2) now returns to the diamond on Wednesday, March 31, as the Gray Wolves travel to Mishawaka, Ind. to face Bethel (Ind.) in a doubleheader.  First pitch in game one is set for 3:15 p.m. at Gardner Field.