CLERMONT, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle softball team split a pair of games on Thursday, the first day of The Sun Conference Tournament, defeating Warner by a 5-2 score before falling to No. 15 Southeastern, 5-3. The Eagles will play an elimination game at 2 p.m. tomorrow against the winner of the 9 a.m. game featuring Thomas and St. Thomas. Should ERAU win that game, the Blue and Gold would play again tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in another elimination game.
Game 1 - ERAU 5, WU 2
The Eagles got off to a strong start against Warner, plating three runs in the second inning to take an early 3-0 lead. Victoria Reed led off with a solid single and moved to third on a one-out double off the bat of Robi Zimmerman. Two batters later, Kelsey McDonnell worked a six-pitch walk, and Kailah Rain followed with a bases-loaded walk to score Reed with the game's first run. Talia Barraco knocked a single into left-center to score Zimmerman and McDonnell to cap the scoring in the frame.
ERAU manufactured another run in the fourth inning as McDonnell and Rain led off with singles and both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt from Raquelli Bianco. Taylor Cowan delivered the run-scoring single that plated McDonnell to increase the Eagles' lead to 4-0.
The Royals strung together three base hits including a double to push across a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, cutting the lead in half to 4-2.
Embry-Riddle got one of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning thanks entirely to a trio of Warner miscues. Rain reached with one out on an error, moved up to second on a wild pitch, and then scored on a fielder's choice play that resulted in a wild throw by the first baseman that ended up down the left-field line.
Warner could only muster one baserunner in the seventh as Bianco finished off the complete game win, sealing the 5-2 victory for the Eagles.
Bianco (15-7) earned the win, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits, striking out six and hitting one batter. She was also 1-for-3 with two RBIs at the plate, while Cowan was 2-for-4 with a stolen base and an RBI and Zimmerman was 2-for-3 with a double and a run. McDonnell finished 1-for-2 with two runs scored and Rain was 1-for-3 with a walk, run scored and RBI.
Chelsie Valentine (10-8) took the complete game loss, giving up five runs (four earned) on nine hits, walking two and striking out four. Makenzie Garcia was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Jessica Adams was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Game 2 - SEU 5, ERAU 3
ERAU came out of the gates quickly against Southeastern, just as it had done against Warner earlier in the day. Bianco got the rally going in the top of the first with a one-out double and scored two batters later when Barraco laced an RBI double to left. After Reed walked, Haleigh Lewis singled to drive in Barraco to make it 2-0.
The Fire answered back with a run in the bottom of the first, but a lineout double play to Chanley Burge prevented any further damage, allowing the Blue and Gold to take a 2-1 lead to the second.
The score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the fourth, when SEU scored twice, first on a squeeze play and then on an attempted double steal that saw the runner on first eventually tagged out, but not before the runner from third had crossed the plate to give the Fire a 3-2 lead.
Southeastern used a pair of bunt singles and a sacrifice bunt followed by a two-run single in the bottom of the fourth to increase its lead to 5-2, a lead that would hold until the seventh.
Reed led off the top of the seventh with a walk but was quickly erased on a double play, putting the Eagles down to their final out. Zimmerman was walked on four pitches and Rae Heuer followed with a triple down the left-field line to score Zimmerman and bring the potential tying run to the plate. McDonnell slapped a 1-0 pitch off the third baseman's glove, but the deflection went right to the shortstop who was able to throw home to get Heuer for the final out.
Bianco (15-8) pitched all six innings in a losing effort, allowing five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and no walks. All nine batters registered at least one hit for the Eagles, including Heuer, who was 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI, and Barraco, who was 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and RBI. Zimmerman was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored and McDonnell was 2-for-3.
Cat Maldonado (12-1) got the win, pitching four innings of relief, allowing one run on five hits with a walk and one strikeout. Brittany LaCasse was 3-for-3 with a double, triple, two runs scored and two RBIs, while Maldonado was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
