By John RittenhouseThe Luverne softball team dropped a tight decision to open the 2006 campaign Tuesday.Hosting Southwest United for a non-conference clash, the Cardinals fell behind early and couldn’t recover during what ended as a 6-5 setback.The Wildcats plated a pair of runs in the top half of the first inning and never lost the lead.Jessa Dahl’s run-scoring single in the bottom of the first cut SWU’s lead in half (2-1), but the Wildcats scored once in the second inning and three times in the fourth to open a commanding 6-1 cushion.Luverne’s Christy Van Dyke singled and scored on an error in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 6-2 game.Kerri Fransman doubled home two runs to cap the scoring in the seventh.Alison Brands went the distance on the mound for LHS. She fanned five batters, issued six walks and yielded five hits."We just weren’t very aggressive at the plate," said LHS coach Steve Semmens. "We were trying to put the ball in play instead of driving it. We have a lot of young girls without varsity experience, and it showed."Luverne plays two games in Welcome Saturday before opening Southwest Conference play in Redwood Falls Tuesday.