DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Saturday marked the first day of conference softball action in The Sun Conference, and Embry-Riddle got off to a 1-1 start with a doubleheader split against visiting Warner. The Blue and Gold dropped a pitchers' duel in game one, 2-1, before run-ruling the Royals in game two, 9-0. The Eagles now stand at 13-11 and 1-1 in league play, while Warner moves to 7-9-1 and 1-1 in conference.
Game 1 - WU 2, ERAU 1
The Royals did all their damage in the first inning, with Nicole Comstock opening the scoring with an RBI double and later scoring on an Eagle error to make it 2-0 Warner.
The Eagles could only muster two baserunners through the first four innings of play, but finally got the bats going in the fifth. Taylor Cowan tripled with one out and scored on a Victoria Reed single to cut the deficit to 2-1. After a sacrifice bunt from Kelsey McDonnell, Anna Battison drew a walk, but the Blue and Gold couldn't find a way to get Reed home from second, ending the inning down 2-1.
Embry-Riddle put runners on first and second the next inning, but once again, the Royals defense held ERAU off the scoreboard. The Blue and Gold couldn't put together a seventh-inning rally, falling by a score of 2-1.
Robi Zimmerman (5-6) was charged with the loss despite allowing just one earned run on four hits in a complete game effort. At the plate, five different Eagles recorded a hit, including Cowan who was 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored, and Reed who was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Chelsie Valentine (5-3) got the complete game win, giving up one run on five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. Jelisa Potter was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored and Comstock finished 1-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI.
Game 2 - ERAU 9, WU 0 (5 inn.)
The second saw a complete turnaround for the Eagle offense, as Embry-Riddle had multiple baserunners in four of the five innings. Talia Barraco got the Blue and Gold on the board first with a two-out RBI double in the third, scoring Kailah Rain from first base.
The Eagles batted around in the fourth, scoring five runs to blow the game open. Reed and McDonnell recorded back-to-back RBI singles, and Rain and Barraco each registered two-out RBI hits in the inning as well.
With a 6-0 lead going to the bottom of the fifth, ERAU just needed to score two runs to end the game early via the eight-run mercy rule. Haleigh Lewis took care of that on one swing of the bat, launching a walk-off three-run home run to left-center to end the game.
Raquelli Bianco (7-5) got the complete game win, tossing her third consecutive five-inning shutout. She allowed just four hits and one walk with two strikeouts. Lewis finished the game 2-for-3 with a double, home run, two runs scored and three RBIs, while Barraco was 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs and Rain was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Brittany Winget (2-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings of work. Makenzie Garcia was 2-for-2 at the plate, while Comstock and Erika Shick each went 1-for-2.
The Eagles are right back at it tomorrow afternoon as they play host to William Woods in a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. at the Daytona State College Softball Complex.
