Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Dominican University softball team returned to action on Friday, falling back to the .500 mark at 4-4 on the season with losses to the Salem State Vikings and St. John Fisher Cardinals.
 
The Stars will look to rebound on Saturday when they return to the diamond to take on the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Trailblazers and the Elms College Blazers.
 
Salem State 11, Dominican 2
 
The Vikings pushed across five runs in the top of the second and never looked back.
 
Dominican got one run back in the bottom of the second as Catherine Conte (Elmwood Park, Ill.) singled up the middle to bring home Allie Evans (Greenwood, Ind.) but the Stars' rally was halted when Sara Hausl (St. Charles, Ill.) lined into a double play to end the inning.
 
After the Vikings tacked on three more runs in the top of the fourth, the Stars started another rally in the bottom half of the inning with Dominique Schneider (Lockport, Ill.) lacing an RBI single but the Stars' rally was again cut short when Ashley Rea (Lockport, Ill.) was caught trying to steal third and then Alyssa Domico (Naperville, Ill.) lined out to second.
 
The Vikings broke the game open in the top of the fifth with Cara Crowley and Michelle Flower roping back-to-back RBI doubles, capping a three-run frame.
 
Needing two runs to keep the game going, the Stars' stranded a leadoff single from Gabriela Salinas (Austin, Texas) to end the game.
 
The Stars did manage nine hits with Conte and Rea each going 2-for-2 but the Vikings roughed up Haley Locher (Lisle, Ill.) who was making her fourth start of the season in the circle for the Stars.  The Vikings touched Locher for five runs on five hits and three walks in an inning and a third of work.
 
St. John Fisher (N.Y.) 5, Dominican 1
 
Against the Cardinals, the Stars scratched across the first run of the ballgame when Rea led off the top of the third with a single.  Rea was pushed to second on a sacrifice bunt and then scored from second when Schneider reached on a drop-third strike.
 
SJF got that run back in the bottom of the third, tying the game on Jennifer Knaak's two-out single.
 
After the Stars stranded a one-out single by Evans in the top of the fourth, the Cardinals took the lead on Olivia Fusilli's two run single.  The Cardinals pushed across one more run in the frame and then scored the final run of the game on a double-steal in the bottom of the fifth.
 
The Stars managed just four hits in the losing effort, with Rea leading the way, going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
 
In the circle, Siena Gyure (Crown Point, Ind.) took the loss.  Gyure was charged with all five runs after entering the game in relief of Sarah Slouber (Willow Springs, Ill.) in the second inning.  Gyure allowed nine hits and three walks while striking out two.