FORT MYERS, Fla. - Early deficits no longer phase the youthful Edgewood College softball team, as the Eagles completed a pair of comeback bids against Crown, 8-5, and College at Brockport, 9-6, on Sunday morning. Grace Delleman launched the Eagles first long ball of the year with a 2-run home run in game one and helped the Eagles improve to 5-1 over spring break.
Delleman's homer aside, the Eagle offense shows no signs of slowing down after rapping out nine or more hits in six of their last seven games (6-1 record). The Eagle bats are slow to get going, but have produced when needed. In six spring break games, they have 56 hits, 19 walks, and just 10 strikeouts.
In game one win over Crown, the Eagles (6-4) faced a 5-2 deficit heading into the bottom of the fourth. Amanda Meister, who earned her second win of the year after striking out three in four innings of work, ignited the rally with a leadoff double and was later driven in by Jordan Anderson's RBI single. They weren't done.
Sabrina Luedtke and Shannon Whitmus posted a rare offensive feat with back-to-back triples. Luedtke's second triple in Florida scored Hanna Fisher and Maddie Minik while Whitmus three-bagger brought her home. Laurissa Belott plated Whitmus on an RBI single to conclude the five-run inning and established a 7-5 lead.
Whitmus silenced the Crown bats with three scoreless innings to earn the Eagles first save of the season.
Meister and Fisher both added two hits and two runs while Delleman and Luedtke each had two RBIs. Delleman's first-inning home run to right center opened the scoring for the Eagles and cut the Crown lead to 3-2 after the first frame.Â
The Eagles, who trailed 2-0 after the top of the first, utilized six walks and six wild pitches in a 5-run first to rally past Brockport, 9-6, in an afternoon game that saw a combined 13 walks and six strikeouts. Luedtke produced her first three-hit game of the season to lead an Eagle offense that posted 10 hits.Â
Whitmus' RBI single was the only hit in a first inning that saw five runs scored. After coming up empty in the next two innings against Brockport's relief pitcher, Edgewood College tagged her for three runs on five hits in the bottom of the fourth. It included Meister's first career RBI double.
Brockport made it interesting with three runs in the top of the fifth and left eight batters stranded over the last three innings, including the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, but ultimately came up short against Whitmus in relief.
The Eagle offense struck out six times against Brockport's relief pitcher after having totaled six strikeouts combined over the last six games.
Meister, Anderson, and Whitmus each finished with two hits, with Whitmus posting a team-high two RBIs.
The Eagles face Curry College and SUNY Canton tomorrow at noon and 2:00 pm (central time) as they look to extend their newly formed 2-game win streak.
