AUGUSTA, Ga. — It was a well-spent road trip for the Flagler College softball team.
Kyra Gipson put the team on her back, tossing all 14 innings versus Augusta University and picking up a pair of wins in the circle as the Saints' offense did the rest en route to a Peach Belt Conference, 7-2 and 5-4, sweep at Jaguar Field Friday afternoon.
In both games, the Saints (14-16, 7-7 PBC) used multi-run innings to take ahold of the momentum that the Jaguars (14-22, 8-11) could never match. In the opening one, it was a six-run third inning that
Mercedes Salinas started with a sacrifice fly, scoring Paige Masada who started the frame with a single, and
Alyssa Velez capped with her team-leading seventh home run as the two-run blast shot over left field. In between those three runs,
Mackenzie Smith was responsible for the other three runs, using her first collegiate home run over the left-field hedges to score
NaJah Gerrald and
Bella Munoz to begin the route against pitcher Mary Tillman (L, 7-9).
Gipson's lone blemished inning was in the bottom of the fourth when she allowed back-to-back hits, including a two-run home run to Summer Frye, but those two were the only ones the Jags would see. The senior righty (W, 11-5) only allowed those two runs on three hits while striking out six in the game one victory. In the fifth inning, a squeeze-bunt from
Morgan Murphy scored
Tabitha Formon, who pinch ran after Salinas' double, and accounted for the seventh run as Gerrald and Murphy each had two hits apiece to pace the Saints' nine hits.
In the night cap, Gipson (W, 12-5) got the nod again and worked through a few jams to keep the Saints ahead. The Jags took the lead first, but Flagler used the third inning to explode again and give their veteran hurler a lead she would never lose again, despite Augusta coming within a run in the fifth via a two-run single from Frye down the first-base line.
The six-hit affair was led by Murphy and Maseda's two hits as the five-run third was started by Smith as she knotted things up with a two-run RBI, scoring Gerrald after her infield hit and Munoz, who drew a walk. Then it was Murphy with her fifth home run of the season, flying over the center-field wall and plating the insurance runs Flagler needed in Smith and Salinas (walk) to secure the sweep.
Up Next: The Saints will host Young Harris College for a doubleheader Tuesday, April 27th at Flagler Field, beginning at 4 p.m.
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