MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle softball team resumed its game against St. Thomas on Tuesday afternoon in Miami Gardens and finished off a 9-0 win in five innings. The first inning-and-a-half had been completed in Daytona Beach on Sunday, but due to poor weather in the Daytona area, the game was postponed. The coaches agreed to resume the game and complete the doubleheader in Miami Gardens as a result of a poor weather forecast for the foreseeable future in Daytona Beach. In game two, the Bobcats led almost the whole way, winning the game by a 4-0 score to split the doubleheader.
With the results, ERAU now stands at 18-18 on the season and 3-7 in conference play, while STU is 3-18 overall and 1-9 in the league.
Game 1 - ERAU 9, STU 0 (5 inn.)
Prior to the suspension of the game, the Eagles had the offense clicking on all cylinders. Embry-Riddle sent 13 batters to the plate in the first inning, beginning with a leadoff single from Kailah Rain. Raquelli Bianco and Haleigh Lewis then drew walks and Talia Barraco followed with a two-run single to open the scoring. After a walk to Robi Zimmerman, Taylor Cowan doubled the lead with a two-run single of her own, extending the lead to 4-0. Rain knocked in two more runs with a two-out, two-run base hit, and Bianco made it 7-0 with an RBI single that scored Victoria Reed. Bianco and Rain then executed a perfect double steal, with Rain swiping home on the play, before Lewis drove in Bianco for the ninth run of the inning.
Sunday's game was halted in the bottom of the second with Zimmerman on first and Cowan at the plate with a 2-0 count. Cowan opened play on Tuesday by taking two straight balls to earn a walk, and Chanley Burge also drew a walk two batters later that loaded the bases. The Eagles were unable to add to their lead in the inning, leaving the bases loaded.
Bianco returned to the circle after pitching the first two innings of the game on Sunday, and she picked up right where she left off. Bianco tossed three more scoreless innings on Tuesday, allowing just four baserunners in the process.
Bianco (11-7) earned the complete game shutout, her sixth of the season, allowing five hits and no walks while striking out three.
Rain finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBIs and two stolen bases, while Barraco and Cowan each recorded a hit, run scored and two RBIs.
Cristina Sacramento (0-8) took the loss, allowing seven runs on four hits with seven walks and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work. She also was 1-for-2 at the plate, as was Carson Catasus and Natalie Sacramento.
Game 2 - STU 4, ERAU 0
Because the games were scheduled to be played in Daytona Beach, the Eagles were still the designated home team in game two, despite playing at St. Thomas' field. After a scoreless first inning, the Bobcats got on the board in the second, with Natalie Sacramento coming home on a two-out single from Christina Horton.
The Bobcats doubled their lead to 2-0 on a Catasus two-out RBI single in the fifth, and doubled it again to 4-0 on a Linett Perez two-out, two-run double in the seventh.
The Blue and Gold put a pair of runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but couldn't push across a run, falling by a final score of 4-0.
Zimmerman (6-11) took the loss, allowing two runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts in four innings of work. Reed went 2-for-3 at the plate while Rain and Lewis each finished 1-for-3.
Cristina Sacramento (1-8) earned the win, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings with just three hits and two walks allowed. She was also 1-for-3 with a run scored and Catasus was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
The Eagles are scheduled to host Ave Maria on Friday, April 17 at 1 p.m. in a Sun Conference doubleheader at the Daytona State College Softball Complex. However, the start time and venue for the games is subject to change, due to DSC having to make up a rainout on that day. Any changes to the ERAU softball schedule will be posted to erauathletics.com as well as to the softball team's official Twitter account @ERAUSoftball.
