TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Missouri Valley College softball team picked up its first win of the Tucson (Ariz.) Invitational on Monday, thanks to a nine-run first inning in the opener.

Junior Esperanza Reyes drove in the first run of the rally with a single and the last two runs with a triple to lead the Vikings to a 12-5 victory over Patten (Calif.). The explosion included a three-run homer by sophomore Sydney Kaneshiro and RBI single from junior Heather Sliger, along with two wild pitches which let in baserunners.

The Lady Lions (1-7) closed the margin to 9-5 with four runs in the third, two on a single by junior Nichole Lancaster, but Kaneshiro smashed a two-run double in the fifth as Valley completed its scoring with three tallies.

The Lady Vikings' bats were silenced until the final frame by freshman Jennifer Burns of Robert Morris (Ill.), which took a 4-2 decision in the nightcap.

The Lady Eagles (2-0) pulled in front on an RBI single by sophomore Jessica Highley in the first inning and an error in the third. Two more boots in the fourth, among six Valley errors on the game, allowed a pair of runs to come in.

It wasn't until the top of the seventh that the Lady Vikings were able to score, both runs coming in on junior Jamie Wilson's bases-loaded, two-out double. However, Wilson was stranded at second base with the potential game-tying run.

Valley (4-5) is set to play two games in the desert today, against Dickinson State (N.D.) and Purdue-North Central (Ind.) -- which defeated the Lady Vikings on Sunday.