CLERMONT, Fla. - After dealing with a weather delay and a much later start time than anticipated, Eastern Softball began its Spring Break Florida trip, and 2022 season, with a pair of victories. The Eagles dominated the first matchup, defeating Finlandia 21-1 in five innings, before coming back from a three-run deficit to defeat Rose-Hulman, 7-5.
The Eagles' offense exploded in the opener, collecting 17 hits while scoring at least one run in all five frames.
Tori Hook put together an impressive debut in an Eastern uniform, finishing 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, three runs scored, and four RBI, while fellow first-year
Kacie Noonan finished 3-for-3 from the dish with three runs scored and a pair of runs batted in.
Susana Perez finished the contest with two hits, while
Sami Britton went 2-for-4 with her first career home run, three runs scored, and two RBIs.
Victoria Perez (1-0) picked up the win in the circle, allowing just two hits while striking out five.
The Eagles grabbed the early lead against Rose-Hulman in the second contest as
Victoria Perez scored Noonan on an RBI fielders choice in the opening frame. However, the Fightin' Engineers answered with three runs of their own in the top of the second inning, turning their one-run deficit into a two-run lead.
Meghan Johnson scored on a Rose-Hulman throwing error to make it 3-2 in bottom half of the second, but the Fightin' Engineers again had an answer, scoring two runs in the third to make it a 5-2 lead.
The Eagles began their comeback in the bottom of the third inning. After
Susana Perez led the frame off with a double, back-to-back singles from Hook and
Jania Long loaded with the bases with one out. Johnson took advantage, driving home Perez and Hook to trim Rose-Hulman's lead to 5-4. Long would eventually come around to score on a wild pitch later in the inning, tying the game at 5-5.
Noonan completed the comeback in the fourth, singling home Britton, before Long scored on another wild pitch in the fifth to secure the Eagles' second win of the day.
Britton (1-0) recorded her first win of the season in relief, tossing four scoreless innings and allowing just three hits. Britton, Noonan, and Long each collected a pair of hits, while Johnson finished 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI.
Eastern will be back in action tomorrow, taking on Adrian and Regis. The Eagles will face Adrian at 10:00 am before wrapping up the day against Regis at 12:30 pm.
