CLERMONT, Fla. – The Edgewood College Eagles softball squad opened up the Spring Games Friday morning down in Florida. They played against the Bluffton Beavers and the Simmons Sharks. The Eagles (5-3) breezed past the Beavers (5-4) in 11-2 fashion, before roaring back from being down 8-0 to win 10-8 over the Sharks (4-6).
GAME ONE: EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 11, BLUFFTON 2
- The Eagles hit hard in the first three innings, tallying six runs before the Beavers hit the board. A
Alyse Maurer single to right started the scoring in the first, before a
Grace Ott sacrifice grounder to short and a
Elizabeth Malarski single up the middle rounded out the first inning runs. The small ball continued in the second and third, with an
Olivia Hebert single up the middle and a Maurer single through the left side making it 5-0 after two, and a
Emily Meyer single up the middle making it 6-0 after two and a half.
- The Beavers made their mark with a solo home run to right in the third, but two sacrifice liners in the fourth with help from Bluffton left Edgewood College up 8-1 after four. Two singles tacked on two unearned runs for the Eagles in the seventh, and a fielding error from Edgewood College settled the final tally at 11-2.
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Grace Pustina shined in the victory, tossing six strikeouts and allowing only three hits.
Gaby Slater performed well in cleanup duties, fanning three Beavers in two innings.
- Hebert seemed to get on base at will, hitting four-of-five with two RBIs and accounting for four Eagles runs. Maurer batted in three Edgewood College runs.
GAME TWO: EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 10, SIMMONS 8
- Early pitching troubles gave the Sharks a huge early advantage. A bases loaded single up the middle brought in a pair of runs, while a single to left, a double to right, and a sacrifice grounder put six on the board for Simmons after one. A pair of singles in the second made it 8-0 Sharks after two.
- The Eagles struggled with Simmons pitching early, but finally found their swing in the later innings. A three-run Hebert blast to left field made it 8-3 after five. Edgewood College threatened again in the sixth, a
Jenna Sanchez double to left center tacking on another run, while a throwing error by Simmons put the tying run at the plate. A
Gracie Halfman single up the middle continued the Eagles comeback, putting them within a run of the Sharks. Hebert erased the Simmons advantage with a double to left center, while Maurer smashed a two-run shot to left field to give Edgewood College a 10-8 lead.
- Malarski continued to shine in the seventh, allowing her only hit in three innings of pitching and closing out the rally for the Eagles. Her and
Tatum Duff combined to throw five innings of scoreless ball.
- Hebert continued to be a threat, going three-for-three with four RBIs and her second home run of the season. Maurer also swung for the fences, while Halfman hit two-of-three with two RBIs in the rally.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Edgewood College is now 1-1 against Bluffton. The meeting with the Sharks was the first between the schools.
- The 11 runs scored against Bluffton was a season-high.
UP NEXT
The Eagles continue play at the Spring Games with a pair of games tomorrow. Edgewood College takes on the Clarkson Golden Knights with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. EST, before battling with the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves starting at 4:30 p.m. EST down in Winter Haven, Fla. The games will be the first time the squads have met in softball.
