DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle softball team split its home doubleheader against #11 Florida Tech on Saturday.
The Eagles played a complete first game.
Lisa Hop tossed a complete game while being backed by eight runs. ERAU (13-11, 6-6 SSC) won the first contest by a comfortable 8-1 margin. Game two was a tightly contested matchup which saw the Eagles battle back from a 3-0 deficit. Two runs by the Panthers in the top of the seventh was too much for ERAU to overcome as Florida Tech (23-7, 7-5 SSC) won the series 2-1.
In game one, the Panthers wasted little time getting on the board. A two-out single up the middle gave FIT a 1-0 lead in the first inning. ERAU answered immediately in the bottom of the inning.
Lisa Hop started the rally with a double to left-center.
Mariana Pereira followed with a single to tie the game at one. After Pereira was thrown out on the base paths,
Katy Thompson gave the Eagles a 2-1 lead with an opposite-field home run.
ERAU added to its lead in the third inning. With the bases loaded, Thompson was hit by a pitch to add to the Eagle lead. However, that was the lone run of the inning for the Blue and Gold.
A five-run fifth inning put the game out of reach. Pereira walked to start the inning. Thompson followed with a single to put runners at first and third.
Michy Ramos drove in Pereira with an RBI single; an error on the play also allowed Thompson to score.
Savannah Brockenbrough kept the rally going with a double to right field.
ReAnne Drayton walked to load the bases. An RBI groundout by
Jamie Mead and an RBI single by
Lia Johnson made it an 8-1 ballgame.
Hop shut the Panthers down the rest of the way. The sophomore allowed just three hits after the first inning. She finished with one earned run with four strikeouts in the complete game.
Maggie Scott, Hop, Thompson and Brockenbrough finished with two hits each. Pereira went 1-for-2 with two walks and an RBI in game one.
The second game of the day had a similar result to Friday's game. The Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the second inning after a sacrifice fly and a solo home run. Florida Tech added to its lead in the fifth after an RBI single up the middle.
ERAU refused to go down easy. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, the Eagles had a runner on second.
Callie Rodriguez got the Blue and Gold on the board with an RBI single. She scored on an RBI triple by Scott to make it a 3-2 ballgame.
The Eagles kept the momentum going in the sixth inning. Pereira led off the inning with a hit by pitch. Ramos tied the game at three with a clutch double to right centerfield to score Pereira. The inning ended with the go-ahead run on second.
Florida Tech reestablished its lead in the seventh. The Panthers scored two runs on three hits to take a 5-3 lead. The Eagles mustered a baserunner in the bottom of the inning, but they were unable to complete the comeback.
Jayla Jackson started game two in the circle. She allowed three earned runs with four strikeouts in six innings pitched. Hop entered the circle in relief in the seventh.
With hits in both of today's games, Scott extended her hit streak to nine games.
The Eagles will face West Georgia in a nonconference doubleheader on Tuesday. The first pitch at the ERAU Softball Stadium will take place on at 4 p.m.
