DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Talk about heating up at the right time.
 
Now winning the last five games after a doubleheader, 3-0 and 4-2, sweep of Hillsdale College Friday night at the Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida, the Flagler College softball team is clicking on all cylinders ahead of conference play.
 
"I'm really proud of this team and the progress they have shown so far this season," Flagler softball head coach Kathryn Geouge said. "They are excited to start conference play on Sunday, and I love the way we are playing heading into the biggest part of our season."
 
The Saints (16-6) will welcome USC Aiken for its first Peach Belt Conference doubleheader, beginning at noon Sunday at Flagler Field.
 
In each game Friday, Flagler jumped on the Chargers (1-9) from the get-go as the Saints saw runs in the first frame of each tilt. It was a lead the visiting team earned and never surrendered behind a pair of quality pitching performances from the one-two punch of Kyra Gipson (W, 10-3) and Madelyn Wise (W, 6-2).
 
Gipson tossed a complete-game shutout, where she allowed seven hits but never a run, even after she opened the first game with a leadoff triple. The senior worked in-and-out of jams to show the composure she has had all season while striking out a pair.  In the second game, Wise continued to mature and grow as she walked six but powered through the challenging innings and allowed just one run on three hits and striking out three to pick up her sixth win.

The speedy NaJah Gerrald, who scored four of the Saints' seven runs, reached on an error to begin the first game to get the early two-run lead going. It was Natalie Murphy, who singled in Gerrald before scoring on Maria Kappos' RBI in two at-bats later. Kappos was responsible for the Saints' other run scored in the third inning as she batted in Natalie, who had two hits along with her sister, Morgan Murphy, and Kappos to pace Flagler.
 
Kappos kept her RBI tally going into the night cap, plating in Paige Maseda after her double pushed Gerrald, who had a team-high two hits in the final game, to third base and a Kyleigh Taylor sacrifice bunt scored Gerrald for the 2-0 lead.
 
Hillsdale knotted the score in the second inning, but it was Gerrald again as she singled, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout, and then scored on Natalie Murphy's RBI to give the Saints a lead they would never lose. A Maseda sac fly in the fifth, scoring none other than Gerrald solidified Flagler's four-run game two.
 
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