Holding a lead was not one of the University of Minnesota Duluth's strong suits Wednesday afternoon in its non-conference doubleheader with Minnesota State University-Mankato at the Irish Sports Dome in Rosemount, Minn.

The Bulldogs were up 3-0 through three innings in the opener only to see the Mavericks score five unanswered runs in a 5-3 victory and then fell 4-3 in eight innings the following game after taking a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth. The double setbacks dropped UMD' s overall record to 3-5 while Minnesota State, a fellow member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, moved to 8-1.

In Game 1, senior first baseman Ashley Johnson had one of the Bulldogs' three hits, a two-run home run (her first of the season) in the bottom of the first and also drove in the other run by drawing a bases-loaded walk one inning later. Rookie Megan Mullen struck out 10 batters for the second time in as many outings and allowed just five hits and three earned runs while walking one in the complete game loss.

A trio of infielders - sophomore second baseman Tyra Kerr (two doubles), senior third baseman Sammie Gardner and sophomore shortstop Kierra Jeffers -- each collected two hits in the 4-3 setback. Jeffers, who tops the 2011 Bulldogs with a .481 average, delivered a two-run single in the second to put UMD up 2-0 and Gardner 's RBI infield single in the third gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 advantage. Minnesota State tied the game with solo runs in both the bottom of the fifth and sixth and then completed the sweep in the eighth when Lindsey Erickson doubled down the right field line to score her older sister, Chelsea Erickson, who homered and doubled earlier in the game. Mullen, who came on in relief of starter Mandy Mutula in the top of the sixth, took the loss to go 1-3 on the year after giving up three hits and two earned runs.

UMD won't return to action until March 13 when it takes on Wayne State University in the first of eight games in Orlando, Fla.