HARTSVILLE, S.C. — The Flagler College softball team took a tournament-opening loss Friday and turned it into a three-win weekend at the Coker University Round Robin.
The Saints (9-5) built off a 10-4 loss to the host Coker (6-6) Friday and redeemed themselves with a, 6-5, victory Saturday to cap the weekend, while defeating Converse College (0-12) in run-rule fashion both times, 14-1 and 15-1, in-between at Saleeby-Stokes Field in Hartsville, S.C. Flagler now returns home for a doubleheader with in-region opponent Florida Tech Tuesday at Flagler Field, beginning at 4 p.m.
FRIDAY
FLAGLER 14, CONVERSE 1 (5)
The Saints wrapped day one of the tournament with a bang.
After dropping the first to the host Coker, Flagler responded with its convincing run-rule victory over Converse. The Saints took a disappointing finish to game one and put it into the second as they saw 14 runs scored on 17 hits.
Flagler took a 3-1 lead, heading into the fourth inning, and ballooned it with a six-run fourth frame followed by five more in the fifth inning. Six Saints had two hits or more while
Paige Maseda added a hit and walk.
Madelyn Childs,
Kyleigh Taylor,
Valerie Beltre and
Alyssa Velez all led the way with three hits apiece as
Mercedes Salinas and
Courtney Robinson each had two.
Beltre scooted around the bases with a triple; meanwhile, Childs smacked across two doubles as Taylor and
Mercedes Salinas also had an extra-base hit. Maseda was credited for a sacrifice fly, while
Rachel Hester (W, 2-3) took care of things in the circle. The freshman pitcher tossed a career-high 10 strikeouts and allowed just one run on four hits. Taylor led the Saints with five RBI as Salinas was next with a trio and Maseda alike Childs had two.
COKER 10, FLAGLER 4
In the tournament's opening game versus the host Coker, it was a back-and-forth affair which saw multiple lead changes. Flagler grabbed the lead early on a Taylor RBI-single, and then the Cobras knotted the score in the bottom of the first before taking it in the fourth and adding on in the fifth for the 4-1 advantage.
The Saints responded with a three-run sixth inning to knot the score, thanks to another Taylor RBI-single and a couple of Cobra errors to make it 4-all. In the bottom half, Coker was able to muster a six-run frame together versus
Madelyn Wise (L, 4-2) and take control for good. Beltre, Maseda and Velez had a hit apiece while Taylor had two hits and the pair of RBI.
SATURDAY
FLAGLER 15, CONVERSE 1 (5)
With games reversed from day one, Flagler mimicked its own performance versus the Valkyries with another compelling win. Taylor continued her impressive round robin with a two-run blast to jumpstart the 15-run, 17-hit effort she and Beltre led with three hits and two RBI apiece.
Lucy Giebeig opened an eight-run second inning with an RBI-triple, while Beltre ended it with an RBI-single. The Saints added five more runs in the fourth inning, while
Taylor Scott (W, 2-0) tossed a gem of a one-hitter while striking out a career-high seven batters through four innings pitched. Freshman
Gianna Amundsen saw her first action in a Flagler uniform as she allowed the lone run in the final inning versus Converse.
Joining Taylor and Beltre with multi-hits were Maseda, Velez and Giebeig. Maseda,
Olivia Parker and Giebeig were responsible for triples as Taylor had a double and home run.
FLAGLER 6, COKER 5
In the final game, Maddy Childs put the finishes on the three-win weekend as she took a seventh-inning, first-pitch solo blast to put the Saints up for good.
The Saints took the lead first in this one, but Coker responded back to knot the score at 2-all. Taylor jacked her fifth home run of the season, scoring Childs to hand the Saints a lead they would briefly lose. An
Ari Bosch fielder's choice ball scored Velez in the fifth frame, knotting the score, and then Childs did the rest for her second home run of the season.
Hester (W, 3-3) solidified her first seven-inning victory this season, where she struck out five more for 15 total in a pair of starts. Taylor, Childs, Maseda and Salinas all had two hits in the tournament-sealing victory.
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.
