ST. AUGUSTINE – Flagler College and Armstrong State University split a Peach Belt Conference softball doubleheader Tuesday evening at Flagler Field. The Saints took the opener 8-5 and the Pirates captured game two, 3-0.
Flagler is now 14-33 overall and 5-15 in the Peach Belt. Armstrong leaves with a 27-11 overall record and a 16-4 mark in conference play.
In the first game, a total of eight run was scored between the two teams in the first inning alone.
The Pirates got on the board first when a bad throw to first base allowed a runner to score from third and then Sierra Newman hit a single to center to plate Alexis Mercer.
Undaunted, the Saints sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six runs on five hits.
Kayla Fuller had the big hit of the inning, a grand slam, which gave Flagler a 4-2 lead. Later,
Hannah Hudson hit a double to center field which scored one run, and then another came home on an errant throw to the plate by the Armstrong shortstop Mercer.
Flagler added two more in the third, on a sacrifice fly by
Hollianne Dohrn and a single to center by
Mallory Allen, to increase the lead to 8-2.
The Pirates added two more in the sixth on a two-run double by Autumn Parrish and pulled to within three, 8-5, on a RBI double by Rachel Reynolds. A walk to the next batter brought up Mercer, the two-time PBC Player of the Year, representing the tying run with two outs. Flagler pitcher
Haleigh Corbally (7-10) struck out Mercer to end the game.
Corbally scattered 13 hits, allowed five runs, walked four and struck out seven to earn the win in the circle for the Saints.
Fuller went 2-for-4 with the grand slam, drove in four runs and scored two runs.
Hannah Hudson went 2-for-3 with a double and one run batted in.
Jane Trzaska (12-8) started and took the loss for the Pirates. She tossed two innings, allowed five hits and five earned runs. Tori Bates tossed the last four and surrendered two runs on four hits.
Newman was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles, one RBI and she scored a run. Trzaska, who remained in the game and played first base, collected three singles.
In game two, Bates picked up her first win of the season, her only decision this year, after tossing a complete game five-hit shutout. She retired 15 batters on ground outs.
Bates got all of the offense she would need in the second inning when Ashley Sterritt drew a bases loaded walk.
The Pirates added single tallies in the sixth and seventh innings for insurance. Bethany Ballard came inches away from hitting a home run in the sixth when her ball bounced off the top bar and came back into play which held Ballard to a single. Michelle Breen, who singled two batters before Ballard, scored all the way from first base.
Parrish socked a solo home run in the seventh for the Pirates.
Mercer collected three singles for Armstrong.
Katelynn Smith (3-10) surrendered 10 hits and allowed three runs to go along with three walks and four strikeouts.
Tori Volz hit a lead-off triple in the sixth inning but was stranded.
Flagler will close out the regular season this weekend on the road, starting with Saturday's (April 18) doubleheader at Columbus State University at 1 p.m.
