CLERMONT, Fla.– Eastern University Softball used timely offense and had just enough pitching and defense to win a pair of games on the team's third day in Florida.
Sami Britton had four hits and picked up a pair of wins in the circle for the Eagles (2-4). The Eagles beat Rose -Hulman Institute of Technology 6-1 in the morning game and then held on for an 8-6 win a wild nightcap against Loras College.
How It Happened:
After trailing 1-0 through the first three innings against the Rose-Hulman Engineers (3-4), the Eagles drew level on a
Sabrina Thomas single in the top of the fourth. Britton, who did not start either game pitching, set the Rose-Hulman hitters down in order in the bottom of the fourth to set up the decisive inning of the game.
Grace Gonzalez hit a one-out single, but it looked like the rally might die when
Jess Snader made the second out on a pop up to the circle.
Rebecca Howard singled to right to keep the inning alive and
Kelsie Parker walked to load the bases.
Lexi Evelyn hit a single to center to drive in a pair and Park came around to score on an error. Britton capped the rally with a double to center field.
Evelyn pitched a scoreless seventh after Britton threw four innings in relief of
Meghan Johnson. Johnson allowed just one run in two innings.
The Duhawks came in with a 5-2 mark, and they struck for a pair of early runs. The Eagles struck for four runs in the second and four more in the third to build a big lead.
Grace Gonzalez delivered a two-RBI single in the second and a three-run homer in the third. Britton knocked in the other two runs in the second and
Emily Loomis knocked in a run before the big blast from Gonzalez in the third.
From there, the Duhawks started to rally. They grabbed back two runs in the fifth and another one in the sixth. Evelyn came on with the bases loaded to stop the rally in the sixth. Loras loaded the bases in the top of the seventh as well. The Duhawks got a single to move the runners up one spot with one out, but Evelyn got a pop-up to second and a strike-out to end the game.
Coach Adams Says:
"We got timely offense and just enough pitching and defense today. We are getting better each day, and that is our focus. All three of our pitchers had good innings. We still need to work to play clean through all the innings of a doubleheader, but it is exciting to see the team respond and win. We are looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow."
Up Next:
The Eagle close their Florida trip with two games tomorrow.
