BUIES CREEK, N.C. — Senior starting pitcher Kiara Hurley did not allow an earned run and recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in a 1-0 extra-inning loss to Mount St. Mary's University before freshman infielder Lexus Brown drove the only run of the day for the North Carolina Central University softball team in a 20-1 loss to undefeated and nationally-ranked University of Kentucky as the Eagles dropped their first two games at the Campbell University Invitational Saturday.
 
Senior first baseman Joirea Dumas hit safely in both contests for the Eagles as she has started the season on a three-game hit streak. She is now batting .571 on the season.
 
NCCU (0-3 Overall) will have to face the 12th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats again on Sunday at 10 a.m., before concluding play at the Campbell Invite against the host Camels at 5:30 p.m.
 
FIRST GAME: Mount St. Mary's 1, NC Central 0 (8 Inn.)


Hurley fanned 10 Mountaineers in her eight innings of work, but Mount St. Mary's was able to drive in its runner placed on second base to start the eighth inning with the tiebreaker rule in effect for extra innings of the two-day event to claim the one-run victory.
 
Senior Amanda Berkley tossed the complete-game shutout for the Mountaineers, limiting NCCU to four hits. Berkley (1-0) had three strikeouts and did not issue a walk while two double plays help eliminate a couple of scoring chances for the Eagles.
 
Dumas poked a pair of singles through the right side of the infield to account for half of NCCU's hits. Freshman Imara Harrell tallied her first collegiate hit with a long double to the base of the wall in the right field gap.
 
Mount St. Mary's (1-0) started its season in the win column with about a six-foot bunt single down the first base line by senior Kaylee Stoner that scored the tiebreaker rule runner from third. Stoner's RBI single was her second hit of the contest.
 
SECOND GAME: No. 12 Kentucky 20, NC Central 1 (5 Inn.)
 
The Wildcats posted their third run-rule victory in their first seven games by scoring 20 runs on 15 hits and 10 walks. Kentucky (7-0) is nationally-ranked in every major top-25 poll.
 
Nine different Wildcats drove in runs, including a game-high four RBI by senior Mallory Peyton. A trio of Kentucky batters hit home runs and junior Tatum Spangler (1-0) limited to the Eagles to four hits in five innings of work for her first win with seven strikeouts.
 
The Eagles broke up the shutout bid and scored their first run of the season in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman Hailey Batista doubled to left field and scored on an ensuing single by Brown. Both hits were the first collegiate base knocks for the two rookies.
 
Senior Caroline Campbell (0-1) held the Wildcats to just one run over the first two innings, but Kentucky was able to get four runs off her in the third before pulling away with 15 more runs over the next two innings.