DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle softball team won both games of its Saturday doubleheader to earn the season sweep against Eckerd.
ERAU (10-5, 3-0 Sunshine State Conference) continued its momentum from yesterday's win. The Eagles were given two stellar performances in the circle by
Lisa Hop and
Jayla Jackson. Hop got the start in game one, holding the Tritons to one run in seven innings pitched, leading the Blue and Gold to a 5-1 win. Jackson followed by allowing one earned run in seven innings pitched. ERAU won the second contest of the day, 8-2.
"Our team was excited to compete in our home opener this weekend, and I'm extremely proud of how they competed as a whole, " ERAU Head Coach
Kelsi Dunne said. "Our pitchers did a great job of keeping us in each game, and our hitters did a great job of executing our plans. We loved playing im front of our fans this weekend and appreciate their support."
Mariana Pereira stayed hot after her five-hit performance yesterday. She put the Eagles on the board in the bottom of the first inning of game one with an RBI double.
Michy Ramos followed with a single up that middle to score Pereira and give the Eagles a quick 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, ERAU plated two runs thanks to two defensive miscues by Eckerd (5-10, 1-5 SSC).
Lia Johnson's infield single, followed by an error on the same play scored
Jamie Mead. An error on a stolen base allowed Johnson to score off the errant throw. Pereira increased the lead to 5-0 with an RBI single to right field.
In the top of the sixth, the Tritons had their chance to do damage. Two singles and a walk would load the bases with one out and Eckerd's heart of the order due up. Hop was able to hold the Tritons to one run, cutting the deficit to 5-1. The sophomore allowed one baserunner in the second, but they were stranded to preserve the 5-1 ERAU win.
Johnson, Hop, Pereira,
Katy Thompson and Ramos had two hits each in game one. Pereira led with two RBIs. Hop allowed five hits with eight strikeouts in the complete game.
Game two had a similar story. The Eagles took an early 3-0 lead in the second inning thanks to an Eckerd error and a two-RBI double by Hop.
Eckerd would get on the board in the fourth inning. The Tritons had runners on second and third with two outs. A single up the middle would plate one run, but
Maggie Scott's throw would beat the runner trying to score from second to end the inning.
ERAU would answer in its half of the inning.
Taryn Huston's RBI single to right field made it 4-1. Mead followed with a safety squeeze to increase the Eagle lead to 5-1.
The Blue and Gold put the game out of reach in the fifth. ERAU would score three runs on five hits, including RBI doubles from Pereira and Ramos.
Jackson allowed just four hits with four strikeouts in her fifth complete game of the season. Hop led the Eagles with three hits, two RBIs, two runs and three stolen bases. Ramos, Huston and Mead had two hits and an RBI each.
The Blue and Gold will continue conference play when they travel to Nova Southeastern on March 1. The first pitch in Fort Lauderdale takes place at 7 p.m.
