MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle softball team dropped both ends of a twin bill against NCAA II Florida Tech on Saturday as the Panthers scored the game-winning run in their last at bat of both games. The Panthers walked off with a 6-5 win in 11 innings in game one before earning a 10-8 comeback victory in the second game.
 
With the losses, ERAU dropped to 5-9 on the year, while FIT improved to 15-12.
 
Game 1 – FIT 6, ERAU 5 (11 inn.)
 
The Blue and Gold took an early lead in game one when Robi Zimmerman laced a single to right field, scoring Sarah Huey who had led off the game with a base hit.
 
The Eagles extended the lead to 2-0 in the third on an RBI single from Dee Espinosa that scored Samantha Smith from third base.
 
Zimmerman kept Florida Tech off the scoreboard for the first four innings of play, setting the Panthers down in order in three of those innings. But FIT jumped on three straight first pitches in the fifth inning, putting together a single followed by two RBI doubles to tie the game at 2-2 and chase Zimmerman from the circle.
 
Head Coach Sarah Lockett brought in Alexis Estrada to relieve Zimmerman, and Estrada was dominant from the fifth inning through the tenth, allowing just three Panthers to reach base during that stretch.
 
Once the game went past the scheduled seven innings, the international tiebreaker rule was put into play, though it did not actually break the tie until the 11th inning. The Panthers came close to scoring in the eighth and ninth innings, but Alex Wood made a full extension diving catch in shallow center field to end the eighth inning with a runner stranded at third and Samantha Smith threw out the potential game-winning run at home plate to end the ninth inning.
 
ERAU finally broke through in the top of the 11th when Savannah Smith lined a double to right-center field, scoring Huey and Samantha Smith. Two batters later, Zimmerman singled home Savannah Smith to put Embry-Riddle ahead, 5-2.
 
Florida Tech battled back in the bottom half, scoring a run on a one-out RBI double from Nicole Shinsky. After a walk and a strikeout, the Panthers were down to their final out with runners on the corners. Ashley Montion drilled a ball to deep left field that plated Shinsky and Kaci Kelley to tie the game at five. The next batter, Erica Tollett, singled home Montion with the winning run, giving FIT a 6-5.
 
Zimmerman got the start and went four innings, allowing two runs on five hits, striking out two with no walks. Estrada took the loss in relief, falling to 3-4, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits in 6.2 innings of work, walking two and striking out six.
 
Zimmerman and Savannah Smith each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs while Huey and Samantha Smith each collected one hit and scored two runs apiece.
 
Amanda Smith pitched all 11 innings for Florida Tech, giving up five runs (four earned) on nine hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.
 
Montion finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs while Tollett was 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBIs.
 
Game 2 – FIT 10, ERAU 8
 
Just like they did in game one, the Eagles jumped out front early in game two, scoring three runs in the first inning. Huey led off with a double and came around to score on a passed ball to make it a 1-0 game. Haleigh Lewis put down a sacrifice bunt on a squeeze play that scored Espinosa with the second run of the inning, and Chanley Burge drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Zimmerman, giving ERAU a 3-0 lead.
 
The Panthers bounced back to score two runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning, using back-to-back-to-back doubles from Kara Dickinson, Shinsky and Taylor Peterson to trim the deficit to 3-2.
 
Dickinson tied the game at 3-3 with her second double of the game that plated Elaine Brown in the bottom of the second.
 
Florida Tech took the lead in the third inning when Montion hit a two-run home run, giving the home team a 5-3 advantage.
 
Embry-Riddle bounced back to retake the lead in the top of the fourth with a five-run frame. Huey led off with a bunt single and Savannah Smith followed with a four-pitch walk. Espinosa laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached base when the first baseman threw the ball down the right field line, allowing Huey to come around and score. Zimmerman followed with a sacrifice bunt and reached base when Lindsey Nolan looked to second base before electing not to make a throw to any base. Lewis then hit a ground ball that was kicked by the shortstop into center field, allowing Espinosa to score. After Krizzy Menez came in to pinch run for Zimmerman, Ariel Brayer hit a double deep into the left field corner, scoring Lewis and Menez to put the Eagles ahead, 8-5.
 
FIT got two runs back in the bottom half of the inning when Dickinson tripled home Brown and Shinsky immediately followed with a single to score Dickinson, cutting the Eagle lead down to one run at 8-7.
 
The Panthers regained the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run inning keyed by a two-run home run from Lindsy Dugan that put the home team in front, 10-8.
 
Huey singled with one out in the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate, but ERAU wasn't able to push across any runs in the inning, dropping the second game, 10-8.
 
Melanie Lee got the start and a no decision for Embry-Riddle, going three innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with one walk and no strikeouts. Estrada took the loss in relief, falling to 3-5 on the season. She pitched three innings, giving up five runs on seven hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
 
Huey went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored while Espinosa was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Lewis finished 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs and Brayer was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
 
Nolan started and got a no decision for Florida Tech, pitching three innings and allowing all eight runs (six earned) on seven hits and four walks with no strikeouts. Taylor Smith got the win in relief, improving to 6-5 on the season. Smith went four innings, allowing no runs on three hits and no walks with four strikeouts.
 
Dickinson was a perfect 4-for-4 with three doubles, a triple, three runs scored and two RBIs. Peterson was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Dugan and Montion each finished with a home run and two RBIs.
 
The Eagles will be back in action next weekend when they embark on a three-day, six-game road trip through Mississippi and Alabama. Embry-Riddle will play No. 19 Mobile (1 p.m. CDT) and Belhaven (5 p.m. CDT) on Saturday, Mar. 16, before taking on No. 7 William Carey in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. CDT on Sunday, Mar. 17. The Blue and Gold close out the trip with a doubleheader at No. 8 Auburn Montgomery on Monday, Mar. 18 at 2 p.m. CDT.