LAKELAND, Fla. –
Garland Evans went 6-for-9 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and two runs batted in as Flagler College split a non-conference doubleheader against Florida Southern College Wednesday night at Chris Bellotto Field. Flagler won the opener in eight innings, 6-2, while Florida Southern took game two in eight innings, 3-2.
Both teams retain .500 records as Flagler is now 3-3 while Florida Southern is 2-2.
In the opener,
Kyra Gipson (2-0) earned the win in the circle for the Saints as she scattered 10 hits, allowed two runs, and walked four batters. She retired 13 batters on fly outs and another nine on ground outs.
Maria Kappos and
Genevieve Mangini hit back-to-back RBI singles in the sixth inning to tie the game at 2-all.
The Moccasins threatened in the bottom of the seventh. Jadin Dewith got on base with a one-out infield single. She was sacrificed to second base. Zierra Flodman drew a walk and Jessica Trana followed with a single up the middle, but it did not allow Dewith to score. Gipson got the next batter, Maddi Conner, to hit a ground ball to
Tatum Morgan at third base. Morgan collected the grounder and tagged the bag to force extra innings.
Flagler got the first two runners on base to start the eighth. Pinch hitter
Brittney Rayfield grounded out to first base allowing both runners to advance.
Megan Miller hit a single up the middle to score both runs and give the Saints a 4-2 lead. Evans hit a triple to center field to plate Miller and then Evans scored on a ground out.
Gipson allowed a lead-off single in the bottom of the eighth, but retired the next three batters in a row.
Evans finished 3-for-5 with that triple, an RBI, and a run scored. Mangini collected three singles, scored a run, and drove in another.
Kelli Gault (0-2) took the loss in relief for the Mocs. She allowed three hits and four runs in 2 2/3 innings.
All 10 hits Florida Southern had were singles. Flodman, Trana, and Lindsey Wilson each had a pair of base hits.
In game two, Florida Southern scored two runs in the first inning and held a 2-1 lead going into the seventh.
Evans got the Flagler rally started with a one-out single to left field. Morgan drove her home to tie the game with her double to left field. That chased Gault who came in to relieve the starter, Aubrey Ehlers (2-0) in the fifth. Ehlers came back in and retired the next two batters.
The Mocs loaded the bases in the seventh, with two outs, but
Alayna Savaglio (1-2) got the next hitter to ground out to first base to end the inning.
Mangini hit a one-out single in the top of the eighth, but was quickly erased on an inning ending double play.
Conner started the home half of the eighth by drawing a walk and then advanced to third when Wilson reached on an error. Two batters later, Makayla Deuberry laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Conner from third to end the game.
Dewith and Celia Higgins each collected two singles.
Ehlers allowed five hits in 6 1/3 innings of work. She allowed one unearned run.
Evans went 3-for-4 with a double. She scored a run and drove in another.
Savaglio surrendered just one hit and an unearned run. She fanned three.
Flagler hosts a mini-tournament this weekend with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Newberry College. Flagler opens with Newberry on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Flagler Field.
Be the first to know what's going on with the Saints -- Follow @FlaglerSports on Twitter, follow FlaglerSports on Instagram, become a fan of Flagler College Athletics on Facebook and subscribe to the Flagler College Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with Flagler Athletics.
