Despite having limited practice time as a full team, the Fort Dale softball team picked up an opening 3-1 win over Monroe Academy Monday afternoon.

Fort Dale’s offense came in the third inning, when Lori Fail started off with a hit.

Abbey Martin was the next to capitalize on the Monroe defense by reaching base on an error.

Both Martin and Fail came around to score on a hit by Murphy Middleton, and Middleton kept running after the ball slipped by the outfielder to score and make the score 3-0.

“I’m proud of the big hit from Murphy,” said head coach Scarlett Anderson. “That really gave the team the boost they needed.”

Monroe’s only run came in the fifth inning with two outs, but the Vols threatened again in the top of the seventh.

Pitcher Katie Wilson worked her way out of that jam to seal the win.

Wilson ended the day with six strikeouts.

“You always like to start the year with a win,” Anderson said. “This weekend was the first real practice with the entire team, and for only three days, we did pretty fair.”

One area Anderson said needs improvement is hitting.

“We had a couple of mistakes, and batting is not where it needs to be,” she said. “We’re swinging, but we’ve got to get the ball out of the air.”

Besides the strong day on the mound, Wilson also went 2-3 from the plate.

The Lady Eagles faced off against Crenshaw Christian in a Tuesday double-header, but results were unavailable at press time.