WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Edgewood College Eagles softball squad continued play at The Spring Games Tuesday morning. They battled with the Rutgers-Camden Scarlet Hawks before taking on the Chicago Maroons. The Eagles (9-5) won a sloppy 3-2 affair over the Scarlet Hawks (1-6) and then earned a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Maroons (3-3).
GAME ONE: EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 3, SCARLET HAWKS 2
- The lone earned run from either squad came in the second inning.
Grace Pustina helped her own start on the mount with an RBI single down the left field line with the bases loaded.
- The Scarlet Hawks struck in the fifth inning. An error from the shortstop led to the first runner crossing home plate, followed by Rutgers-Camden stealing home plate to make it 2-1.
- The Eagles took advantage of Scarlet Hawk errors to take the lead after six. A throwing error from second base in the fifth allowed
Gracie Halfmann to head home. Lauren Hillman accounted for the winning run as a pinch runner with help from a throwing error by the catcher in the sixth.
- Pustina had an impressive outing in her start. She threw six innings with two hits and no earned runs while striking out four, while also hitting 1-of-2 with the lone RBI.
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Jenna Sanchez hit two-of-three for the game.
GAME TWO: EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 4, CHICAGO 3
- Both squads tallied runs to start the scoring in the second.
Olivia Hebert walked with the bases loaded to put the Eagles on the board. The Maroons took advantage of a leadoff error in the bottom of the frame to tie things up with a single to right field.
- An Elizabeth Malarksi double was brought home by a
Grace Ott single through the right side to leave things at 2-1 after three. Both teams would add on a run in the fourth.
Natalie Fields stole home as the Eagles stole three bases with the bases loaded with one out, but a double play limited the damage. A grounder to the pitcher left Chicago on the doorstep down 3-2.
- Fields struck again in the fifth in what turned out to be the game-winner. A sacrifice grounder to third base brought in an unearned run. A triple to left field in the bottom of the frame left Chicago down one heading into the final two innings of play, but the Maroons never saw a runner past first afterwards.
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Tatum Duff earned the victory with six innings pitched and only two earned runs allowed.
Gaby Slater stepped up to earn the save, fanning two in just one inning on the mound.
- Six from Edgewood College recorded one hit for the game. Fields brought in a run and stole home, while Ott and
Alyse Maurer each reached base three times.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The meeting against Rutgers-Camden was the first time the schools have met in softball.
- Chicago leads the all-time series 5-2 after the Eagles' victory.
- Edgewood College is 4-1 in one-run games this season.
- Slater's save was her first as an Eagle and the first as a team in the 2023 campaign.
UP NEXT
The Eagles conclude their stay at The Spring Games on Thursday. They play against the Simpson Storm at 11:30 a.m. EDT, followed by the Western New England Golden Bears at 4:30 p.m. The Storm lead the series 5-1, while the Eagles are 3-0 against the Golden Bears with their last meeting dating back to 2008.
