COLUMBUS, Ga. – The Embry-Riddle softball team won its first game of the 2019 Cougar Classic, beating Albany State 9-2.
The Eagles held the lead for the entire game.
Mariana Pereira got the Blue and Gold on the board with an RBI single in the first inning.
Michy Ramos followed with a 3-run home run to increase the ERAU lead to 4-0. That was Ramos' first collegiate home run.
Jayla Jackson got off to a strong start in the circle. The junior did not allow an Albany State hit until the fourth inning. The Eagles continued to pile on. Ramos singled in the third inning to score Pereira, giving ERAU a 5-0 lead.
Albany State ended Jackson's shutout bid with a home run in the fourth inning. The Golden Rams added another run in the fifth after an ERAU error to cut the Eagle lead to 5-2 in the fifth frame. Jackson helped her own cause in the bottom of the inning. Her single to right-center scored Ramos to give the Eagles a 6-2 lead.
The Blue and Gold put the game out of reach in the bottom of the sixth.
Meritxell Blesa came off the bench to lead off the inning with a double;
Lia Johnson followed with an infield single. Blesa would score on a groundout by
Lisa Hop. Johnson would score courtesy of an RBI single by
Katy Thompson. Thompson would score on a pinch-hit, RBI single by
Taryn Huston to make it a 9-2 ballgame.
Jackson would earn the complete game, striking out six Golden Rams and giving up just one earned run. Ramos totaled three hits with four RBIs and two runs scored in just her second collegiate game. Pereira and Jackson finished with three hits, an RBI and a double each. Hop went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
The Eagles had 15 hits in the contest, the most hits in a game ERAU has had this season.
The Blue and Gold will play two games in the second day of the tournament. The Eagles' first matchup against Georgia Southwestern State starts at 10 a.m., with their second game against Columbus State starting at 5:30 p.m.
