DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle softball team played host to the Davenport Panthers Tuesday night at the ERAU Softball Stadium, picking up a come-from-behind 3-2 in the opener before dropping an 8-3 decision in the night cap.
In the opener, Embry-Riddle (9-4) took the lead in the bottom of the second inning.
Jamie Mead got things going by reaching base on an error by the shortstop with one away in the frame. After Mead advanced to second base on a wild pitch,
Caitlinjoy Hammer dug in at the plate with two outs and singled through the box to score Mead from second.
Davenport (2-5) would plate a pair to take the lead in the fourth inning. Brianna Allen would draw a one-out walk, and would be joined on base by Mariah Cura, who reached on a fielder's choice error when
ReAnne Drayton misfired trying to get Cura out at second base. After a strikeout, Kennedy Crawford doubled to left center to bring in both runners for the Panthers.
After a scoreless fifth, ERAU would break through to retake the lead in the bottom of the sixth.
Lisa Hop, Drayton and
Michy Ramos singled to load the bases. Mead belted a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Hop home, and a squeeze bunt by
Katy Thompson allowed Drayton to cross home for the go-ahead run.
Hop would move to the circle in relief of starter
Kelsi Collins in the seventh, but with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with two outs, Collins re-entered to get a strikeout to end the contest.
Collins (3-2) went 6 1/3 innings and struck out three while giving up two unearned runs on four hits. Six different Eagles recorded a base hit in the game.
Ellie Muilenburg (1-2) took the loss for Davenport, as she allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits while striking out three. Selene Pauley led DU at the plate with a 3-4 performance.
In the evening's second game, the Eagles once again took the early 2-0 lead when
ReAnne Drayton singled to left field with bases loaded to score
Lia Johnson and
Maggie Scott.
The Panthers would turn around and score five times in the fourth inning and would not look back, as four runs scored following a two-out error by
Rachel Bryant to make it a 5-2 ballgame.
Three more Davenport runs would come across in the fifth inning to make it 8-3, as an RBI groundout and a pair of RBI singles with two away to pad the lead for the visitors.
The Blue & Gold would get one run back in the bottom of the inning when
Michy Ramos singled to center to bring Johnson in to make it an 8-3 game.
Jayla Jackson (4-2) took the loss, working just 3 2/3 innings and allowing five runs, of which only one was earned, on four hits while striking out three. Johnson and Drayton each recorded two-hit games, as Drayton was responsible for driving in all three runs.
Taylor Simon (1-2) earned the win for Davenport, going the distance and allowing three runs on six hits and collecting three strikeouts. Gabby Palazzolo and Kennedy Crawford each went 2-4, with Crawford driving in three runs out of her ninth place in the batting order.
The Eagles will be idle this weekend, but return to action when they welcome Queens University of Charlotte to the ERAU Softball Stadium for a doubleheader Tuesday set for a 2 p.m. start.
