ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – In a day of firsts for the Embry-Riddle Softball program, the Eagles fell short of the one first they wanted the most: the first win. The Blue and Gold were swept by the host Flagler Saints, 10-1 and 11-9. Both teams were playing their first games of the season.
 
FC 10, ERAU 1 (6 inn.)
 
Embry-Riddle (0-2) got things off to a promising start as Sarah Huey laced a double off the right-field wall in the program's first at-bat, missing a home run by just a couple of feet. Two batters later, Dee Espinosa hit a sacrifice fly to score Huey with the game's first run.
 
The Saints (2-0) came right back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Christen Moon doubled to drive in Darcey Cochran; later in the inning Moon stole home on a double steal, giving Flagler a 2-1 lead after the first.
 
The score remained 2-1 until the fourth inning when Marissa Blake knocked in Tori Volz with an RBI double. Blake would eventually come around to score on a wild pitch, increasing the Saints' lead to 4-1 through four innings of play.
 
The Eagles put two runners on in the top of the sixth after Espinosa and Robi Zimmerman drew back-to-back walks, but ERAU couldn't push across any runs.
 
FC put the game away in the bottom of the sixth, as six straight batters reached base, capped by a three-run home run from Melanie Oliver that ended the game because of the mercy rule with the final score 10-1.
 
Huey (1-3) and Espinosa (1-1, BB, SF) were the only Eagles to record hits in the game. Huey scored the lone run and Espinosa was credited with the only RBI. Alexis Estrada took the loss, going four innings and allowing four earned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out one. Zimmerman gave up six earned runs on five hits and a walk in one inning of work.
 
Oliver collected three hits and three RBIs for the Saints, while Blake went 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Kalyn Loverich pitched the full six innings to pick up the win, allowing one earned run on two hits and three walks while striking out eight.
 
FC 11, ERAU 9
 
In the second game, Embry-Riddle once again took an early lead, scoring two unearned runs in the top of the first. Huey led off the game with a walk and Ariel Brayer followed with an infield single to third base. On the ball that Brayer hit, however, Blake, the Saints' third baseman made an ill-advised throw in the direction of second base that sailed all the way to the right-center field fence, allowing both runners to come all the way around to score.
 
Flagler answered with two runs in the bottom of the first, including an RBI single for Moon and another double-steal with Moon stealing home for the second time on the day.
 
After the Eagles left two runners on in the top of the second, the Saints exploded for five runs on six hits in the bottom of the second as they sent 11 players to the plate, giving FC a 7-2 lead after two innings.
 
The Blue and Gold chipped away at the deficit right away, plating three runs in the third inning. Brayer led off the inning with a four-pitch walk and two batters later, Zimmerman launched a two-run home run that easily cleared the left-field fence, the first home run in ERAU Softball history. After Alex Wood doubled and Savannah Smith was hit by a pitch, Jessica Osteen hit a ground ball to the shortstop, who flipped to second for one out, but the throw to first was wild, allowing Wood to round third and score the Eagles' fifth run of the game.
 
In the top of the fourth, Embry-Riddle's offense continued to percolate. Samantha Smith singled to start the inning and Huey followed with a double to advance Smith to third. After Brayer drew a walk, Espinosa stepped up and belted the program's first-ever grand slam, putting the Eagles ahead, 9-7.
 
The score stayed put at 9-7 until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Moon hit a leadoff home run to cut the Eagle lead to 9-8. Four batters later, Jolley roped a triple into the right-field corner, scoring two runners to put the Saints ahead, 10-9. Blake later added an RBI single to give Flagler an insurance run at 11-9.
 
Samantha Smith reached on an infield single with two outs in the top of the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate for Embry-Riddle, but Huey was called out on strikes to end the game.
 
Eight Eagles recorded hits in the game, including three from Samantha Smith and two apiece from Savannah Smith, Wood and Zimmerman. Huey stole a base and drew two walks while scoring twice and Brayer also walked and scored twice. Espinosa knocked in four runs while Zimmerman drove in two.
 
Zimmerman started in the circle, allowing seven earned runs on nine hits in 1.1 innings. Estrada took the loss in relief to fall to 0-2. She threw the final 4.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one and hitting one batter.
 
Moon tallied three hits including a home run, three runs scored and four RBIs for Flagler. Blake and Whitney Little also added three hits each, with Whittle scoring twice and Blake driving in two.
 
Tinsley Smith started for the Saints, going the first three innings and allowing eight runs (five earned) on eight hits and three walks while striking out two and hitting one batter. Loverich came on in relief and earned the win, improving to 2-0. She threw the final four innings, allowing one earned run on five hits, walking one and striking out eight.
 
The Eagles will have a 12-day break before returning to action on Feb. 15 when they play a doubleheader at Brewton-Parker in Ailey, Ga. beginning at 2 p.m. The Blue and Gold will then play a doubleheader the next day at Georgia Gwinnett in Lawrenceville, Ga. at 1 p.m. on Feb. 16.