The Homer softball team opened its season Thursday and Friday with play at the Island Invitational in Kodiak. The Mariners played three games Thursday and four more on Friday, finishing 4-3 over those two days.

Starting Thursday, Homer suffered a 2-1 loss to Kodiak, giving up a run in both the third and fourth innings to fall to the Bears. Zoe Adkins struck out seven in 3 1-3 innings pitched for Homer.

Homer went on to record a 7-3 win over Wasilla. After taking a 3-0 lead, Homer plated four runs in the third inning to grab a commanding edge over the Warriors. Grace Godfrey knocked in four RBIs on two hits, while Adkins whiffed five in two frames of work in the pitching circle.

The Mariners finished Thursday with an 8-5 loss to Delta Junction. The Huskies plated five runs in the first two take an early lead. Homer rallied back with three runs in the third to close the gap to 6-4, but Delta tacked on two more in the fourth to help seal the win. Annalyn Brown threw four innings and struck out two.

Friday, the Mariners opened with a 7-4 win over Colony. Brianna Hetrick batted in three runs on two hits, while Brown whiffed three batters in two innings of pitching. The Knights scored four times in the first inning, but Homer responded with five runs in the bottom half to take the lead, then plated two more in the second.

Homer then moved on to a 6-1 win over Lathrop, staking out a 5-0 lead to cruise to the win. Kaitlyn Johnson notched three RBIs for Homer.

Later Friday, the Mariners returned to beat Delta 8-4. Elizabeth Love led the charge with three RBIs on two hits. The Mariners tallied six runs in the first inning to cruise to the win.

Homer ended the day Friday with a 3-2 loss to Kodiak. The Bears took a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Homer responded with two runs in the bottom half of the frame but couldn’t complete the comeback. In the pitching circle, Adkins held station with seven strikeouts in 2 2-3 innings.