MIAMI SHORES — The Flagler College softball team is heading back home with a midweek split versus Barry University as the Saint took the first in extras, 5-4, before dropping the last, 4-2, at a rainy Buccaneer Field Tuesday night.
Flagler improves to 13-11 overall and looks to build on its Peach Belt Conference record (1-2) with a trip to Augusta University in a three-game series with the Jaguars, beginning at noon Saturday.
In the first game, the Saints carried a two-run lead into an hour and a half rain delay.
Paige Maseda was responsible for batting in and scoring a run to get a lead the Bucs (16-8) threatened but never took away. Each time Barry would respond to the Saints' scoring, Flagler didn't hesitate.
Kyleigh Taylor did
Kyleigh Taylor things out of the long break as she answered a Barry RBI-single in the third, with her 10th home run of the season in the fourth. After that, the home team — she took yard twice a week ago in St. Augustine — didn't pitch to her again as she drew two intentional walks.
The middle of Barry's lineup kept them in the mix as a two-run fifth knotted things up, heading into the sixth, where
Rachel Hester (W, 5-5) relieved
Madelyn Wise in the circle. The freshman kept the Buccaneers off the board to force extras; meanwhile, Flagler strung together hits to load the bases and rattle Maci Barnhart (L, 11-4) in the eighth frame.
Lucy Geibeig was responsible for the go-ahead RBI single, scoring
Courtney Robinson who had a one-out single, and then Maseda drew the game-winning hit-by-pitch RBI. Barry scored one run in the bottom of the eighth, but Flagler secured the final outs to win the four-hour game, 5-4.
Maseda led the 10-hit effort with a trio of hits, including two doubles and RBI, while Robinson had two and
Valerie Beltre, Taylor,
Ari Bosch,
Olivia Parker, and Giebeig each had one.
In the second game, the script was a lot of the same, minus the result. Maseda gifted the Saints the early lead again and when Barry scored to take the lead, the Saints had an answer. Robinson came up huge again as she batted in
Mercedes Salinas to knot the score in the sixth, and then Barry had an immediate response.
Maggie Wheless' two-run home run was one the Saints attempted to answer — with a pair of seventh-inning walks drawn by Beltre and Taylor — but the rally came up short. Haelee Angelico (W, 2-0) held Flagler to four hits, while Barnhart earned the save and
Taylor Scott (L, 3-2) took the tough loss in five innings pitch. In the sixth, Hester relieved Scott following a lead-off walk before the go-ahead home run.
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