FULTON, Mo. - Westminster softball faced Principia to open the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season, sweeping the Panthers to start 2-0.

The Blue Jays improve to 6-12 overall with the win. 

"We hit the ball well and played great despite the rough conditions," said Westminster Head Coach Joe Henderson of the 30-degree weather. 

Westminster took both games in just five innings, allowing their offensive prowess to take over. 

In game one, Westminster scored two runs on a double from senior Amber Tepen. In the second inning, the Blue Jays broke the game open with a four-run inning which included a two-run shot from Brooke Laidley, her first of the day. 

Two more RBIs from Emily Holloway and Mackenzie Myers sealed the early victory in the fifth inning for Westminster for their first conference win. 

Katie Price took the win, pitching all five innings in the shutout and giving up just two hits, striking out five. 

In game two, Westminster had a huge first inning to go up 10-0 on the Panthers early. The Panthers allowed several runs to score from wild pitches and walking in runs, but the big hits in the inning came on a two-run double from Holloway and a three-run homerun from Laidley, which hit the scoreboard after soaring over the left field fence. 

The Panthers made up two more runs in the third, but Westminster answered with two more runs in the bottom of the same innings on RBI from Tepen and Bailey Johnson. 

Madison Ingram took the win for her third of the season, pitching 4.1 innings and giving up three runs on four hits. 

"As hard as the girls worked to get the field ready and to play as well as they did, I could not be more happy," said Henderson. "This is a great team and it was a great start to conference play." 

The Blue Jays remain at home Wednesday to face Fontbonne at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.