ST. AUGUSTINE – Flagler College and Georgia College & State University split a Peach Belt Conference softball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Flagler Field. Georgia College won the opener 9-3 while Flagler took the second game 8-0 in five innings.
Flagler closed out the regular season with a 31-19 overall record and 14-10 mark in the Peach Belt. Georgia College finished with a 23-23 overall record and went 14-10 in conference play. Both teams finished in a tie for second place in the conference standings, but GCSU won the head-to-head tiebreaker after taking two-of-three from Flagler. The conference tournament begins on May 2 with the quarterfinal round at Dahlonega, Georgia. The tournament is single-elimination.
The Saints used a seven-run fifth inning to end the second game with the eight-run rule. Flagler sent 11 batters to the plate and collected five hits, three walks, and two batters were hit by a pitch.
Already holding a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the fifth,
Emily Ricci led off with a double to right-center and
Hannah Smith was hit by a pitch.
Kiley McQuillan belted a three-run home run to leftfield to give the Saints a 4-0 lead. A change of pitchers by the Bobcats got the first out of the inning, but
Jordan Moss and
Kiersten James had back-to-back hits and then Kyle Knier drew a walk to load the bases.
Sydney Stewart followed with a walk to score Moss.
Brooke Maher hit a single up the middle to plate two more runs. The second pitching change of the inning by GCSU saw a batter get hit and Smith drew a walk to end the game.
Alyssa Hunter (14-5) tossed a two-hit shutout with six strikeouts.
McQuillan went 2-for-4 with a home run and had four runs batted in. Maher finished with two singles, a run scored, and she knocked in two runs. Ricci and Knier each went 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored.
Shelby Jones (11-11) allowed four runs on seven hits in four innings to get the loss. Annalise Knop surrendered four runs on three hits in one-third of an inning. Tiffany Caban faced two batters in the fifth and did not retire either batter.
In the opener, Georgia College plated two runs in the second inning and added four more in the fourth to take a commanding 6-0 lead.
Raina Checo socked a grand slam to left-center in the fourth inning for the Bobcats.
The Saints got three runs in the fifth. Stewart belted her 15
th home run of the season, which tied the single-season record, and then McQuillan hit a two-run single to center and took third base as the centerfielder misplayed the ball.
Caban (9-5) earned the win for Georgia College as she tossed four innings and allowed three runs on three hits. Knop finished the game as she worked three scoreless innings to earn the save.
Raina Checo went 4-for-4 with the grand slam and five RBI. Madison Todd went 3-for-3 with a double, a home run, and she scored three runs. Caroline Pollock singled twice and scored two runs. Davina Checo went 2-for-5 with a double and she scored a run.
Jordan Sheets (9-5) surrendered nine runs (eight earned) on 14 hits as she went the distance.
McQuillan went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI.
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