DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle softball team played host to the fifteenth-ranked team in the country on Sunday, coming up short twice to the South Carolina Beaufort Sand Sharks. USCB won game one, 5-2, before taking the second game, 5-0.
With the losses, ERAU falls to 19-16 and 8-4 in conference play, while USCB improves to 27-5 and 5-1 in league action.
Game 1 – USCB 5, ERAU 2 The Eagles got off to a strong start, with
Alexis Estrada striking out the side in the first and
Sarah Huey scoring on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first, giving ERAU a 1-0 lead.
The score remained 1-0 until the fifth when the Sand Sharks strung together three hits, including two for extra bases, to score twice. Sammi Shaffren singled and advanced on a throwing error by
Samantha Smith, with Marissa Becker scoring on the error. Melanie Goolsby then tripled home Shaffren to make it 2-1 USCB.
Taylor Cowan led off the bottom of the fifth with an infield single and scored two batters later on a double from
Jessica Osteen, tying the game at 2-2.
The Sand Sharks got three more runs in the sixth, scoring a run on a bases-loaded fielder's choice to center field where the runner was thrown out at second base, putting USCB ahead, 3-2. Two batters later, Shaffren doubled home two runs to make it a 5-2 ballgame, which would prove to be the final score.
Alexis Estrada (11-6) took the loss, tossing 5.1 innings, giving up four runs on five hits with two walks and 12 strikeouts.
Huey was 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored while
Talia Barraco was 2-for-3 with a double and stolen base.
Kristy Cook (11-3) got the complete game victory, allowing two runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks.
Goolsby was 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI while Shaffren finished 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and two RBIs.
Game 2 – USCB 5, ERAU 0 The Sand Sharks wasted no time grabbing the lead in game two, with Alexandria Simmons scoring on a two-out triple from Taylor Triplett in the top of the first.
Simmons then made it 3-0 when she launched a two-run home run over the left-field fence in the third inning.
USCB added two more runs in the seventh thanks to a leadoff home run from Shelby Zipperer off the left-field foul pole and a Mariaha Sanborn run-scoring double play, accounting for the 5-0 final score.
Alexis Estrada (11-7) was tagged with her second loss of the day, pitching six innings, giving up five runs on eight hits with four walks and two strikeouts.
Dee Espinosa was 2-for-3 while Huey was 1-for-3 and Barraco was 1-for-2, representing all four of the ERAU hits in the game.
Ashlie Layman (11-0) got the complete game shutout win, allowing just four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.
Simmons went 3-for-3 with a double, triple, home run, three runs and two RBIs, finishing a single shy of the cycle. Triplett was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
The Eagles return to action on Saturday, April 12 when they play host to Southeastern in another Sun Conference doubleheader at the ERAU Softball Stadium. The first game is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
