Johnson softball opened its 2016 campaign by splitting a doubleheader with Houghton College on Tuesday in Clermont, Fla. The Badgers won the opener 3-1 but the Highlanders took the nightcap 9-4.

In game one, Houghton scored first in the second inning followed by Johnson State scored once in the fourth to tie the score and added two more runs in the fifth to claim the win. 

The Highlander bats came alive in the second game. After scoring once in the third, Houghton added four runs in the fourth and put single runs across the plate in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Johnson State scored three times in the fifth and once in the seventh.

The Badgers are back in action Wednesday with two games, taking on Houghton again at 9 a.m., followed by a matchup with Saint Mary's at 11 a.m.