VIERA, Fla. – The Flagler College softball team split a pair of games at the Florida Tech Invitational this afternoon at the USSSA Space Coast Complex on Saturday. The Saints lost to Palm Beach Atlantic University, 5-0, but came back to rout Barry University 13-4 in the second game.
Flagler is now 8-8 on the season. Barry fell to 8-10 and Palm Beach Atlantic evened its record at 9-9.
In the second game, Flagler erupted for five runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Natalie Murphy got the Saints on the board with a squeeze bunt in front of the plate. Later,
Jaclyn Mijuskovic hit a two-run single to give the Saints a 5-2 lead.
After Barry added two more runs in the top of the second, the Saints quickly answered with three more of their own.
Cassie Patterson singled home a run to give Flagler a 7-4 lead.
The Saints tacked on another five runs in the third. Mijuskovic hit a two-run triple to pad Flagler's lead.
Katlyn McCue (2-3) picked up the win in relief as she scattered four hits over 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
Natalie Murphy paced the 12-hit Flagler attack as she collected three singles, scored three runs and had one run batted in. Mijuskovic went 2-for-4 with the triple, a run scored and four RBI.
Morgan Murphy scored three runs.
Andrea Johnson (2-5) absorbed the loss after allowing 13 runs on 12 hits. She walked five batters.
Fallon Dragich led the Buccaneers with two singles and two RBI.
In the opener, Palm Beach Atlantic pitcher Katherine Budnovich (2-3) tossed a two-hit shutout. She retired 18-of-the-last-20 batters she faced.
She got all of the offense she needed in the second inning as the Sailfish were able to score a run without the benefit of a hit. A lead-off walk to Janie McCloskey led to her stealing second base. A sacrifice bunt moved her to third base, but
Natalie Murphy, Flagler's first baseman, tried to catch McCloskey off the bag. Her throw bounced on the turf and got away far enough to allow McCloskey to score.
The Sailfish added four more runs in the fourth with the help of a two-run double by Kaylee Winn.
Maddie Bertisch collected two singles, scored a run and drove in another for Palm Beach Atlantic.
Kyra Gipson (4-2) allowed four earned runs on seven hits. She walked four batters.
Garland Evans and
Genevieve Mangini each hit a single for the Saints.
Flagler takes on the host team, Florida Tech, tomorrow at 10 a.m. and will close the tournament at 12:30 p.m. against Lynn University.
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