Tallahassee, Fla. — The University of Iowa softball split day one of the JoAnne Graf Classic with two five-inning games at JoAnne Graf Classic on Friday.

Iowa defeated Samford 9-1 (five innings), before falling to No. 7 Florida State, 12-3 (five innings).

Iowa used a three-run first inning and a five-run fourth to secure a 9-1 win over Samford in the season opener, marking the first meeting between the two programs.

Senior Echo Mattiello led off the game with a single and scored on a double by freshman Mariah Myers in her first collegiate at-bat.

Myers, a St. Edmond graduate, later scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Tori Bennett before freshman McKenzie Leitgen capped the inning with a solo home run to center field, giving Iowa a 3-0 lead.

The Hawkeyes added a run in the third when Bennett — a Fort Dodge Senior High graduate — walked, advanced on a single by junior Leah McAnally and scored on a successful double steal. Samford got on the board in the fourth with a solo home run, but Iowa responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning.

McAnally drove in two runs with a double off the left-field wall, while junior Devin Simon, freshman Kiyah Chavez and senior Avery Jackson contributed during the inning as Iowa pushed the lead to 9-1.

Freshman Carly Brewer earned the win in relief, allowing two hits and one run over 2 2/3 innings. Iowa finished with nine runs on 11 hits, including six extra-base hits.

first three innings and defeated Iowa 12-3 in five innings.

The Seminoles plated one run in the first before breaking the game open with five runs in the second, highlighted by a three-run home run. Florida State added three more runs in the third to extend its lead to 8-0.

Iowa responded in the fourth inning as redshirt sophomore Nailyn Marshall reached on a hit-by-pitch and McAnally recorded her second two-run double of the day. Leitgen followed with an RBI extra-base hit to cut the deficit to 8-3.

Florida State loaded the bases in the fifth and ended the game with a walk-off grand slam.