HIGHLIGHTS:•
Emily Snider hit a home run in each game
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Taylor Rogers had two hits, three RBIs and two runs scored against Marist
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Rowan McGuire drew a walk-off walk to clinch the win over Villanova
MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – The Georgia Southern softball team continued play at the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational Saturday with a 9-5 win over Marist and a heart-pounding 6-5 win in nine innings over Villanova.
GAME 1 – GS 9, MARIST 5The Eagles jumped all over Marist early on, scoring six runs early on. In the first inning,
Morgan Robinson drove in
Taylor Rogers with a single and then in the second inning, GS put up a five spot. Rogers cleared the bags with a three-run double to the gap and one pitch later,
Emily Snider hit a two-run home run to make it 6-0.
The Red Foxes slowly clawed their way back into it, scoring a run in the fourth inning and four more in the fifth to make it a one-run game. In the sixth inning,
Lydia Witkowski singled up the middle and Rogers picked up her third hit of the game on a bunt. With no one covering third base, Witkowski headed there and the throw was airmailed to the fence, allowing her to score. In the seventh inning, pinch hitter
Michelle Mazur singled up the middle to drive in a run and the Eagles scored one last run on an error.
GS pounded out 11 hits at the plate, led by three from Rogers, who also drove in three runs and scored a pair of runs. Witkowski,
Hannah Farrell and Snider each had two hits while Robinson and Mazur had one.
Dixie Raley (W, 2-2) went four plus innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits with six walks and seven strikeouts. Kiera Camp (S, 1) went the final three innings to pick up the save. She allowed two runs on three hits.
GAME 2 – GS 6, VU 5 (9)The Eagles got a run on the board in the first inning thanks to a double by Robinson off the fence in right field. The hit allowed Snider, who reached on a walk, to score from first base.
After coming close in almost every inning, Villanova finally broke through in the fifth inning, scoring three runs. The Eagles responded right back in their half of the inning as
India Davis and Rogers each reached on bunt singles and then Snider crushed a 2-2 offering deep into the setting sunset of the Florida coast to snatch the lead right back.
In the sixth inning, Villanova came right back with a two-run home run that just curled inside the fair pole down the left field line, tying the game up. The game would go to extra innings, and while Villanova threatened both times, Raley slammed the door shut both times to set up the exciting ninth frame for the Eagles.
By rule, Davis was placed on second to start the frame and moved up on Witkowski's sacrifice bunt. Rogers reached on an infield single, but Davis couldn't score. After Rogers stole second base, Snider walked to set up the dramatic ending. McGuire then took four pitches from VU's Kate Poppe to draw the walk-off walk and the win, sending the Eagles streaming out of the dugout in jubilation.
Heather Felt made her season debut and went five-plus innings in the no-decision. She allowed four runs on five hits with six walks and two strikeouts. Raley (W, 3-2) picked up the win in relief, giving up one run on two hits with a walk and three strikeouts in four innings of work.
The Eagles had nine hits, two apiece from Robinson, Rogers and Snider and one apiece from McGuire and Davis.
The Eagles (4-5) will finish up the weekend on Sunday, taking on UMass-Lowell at 11:30 a.m.
SMITH SAYS:"We learned today that our team can fight and they're very adaptable. Of all the successful teams I've had, that's been the constants with them. We figured out a way to win and hopefully we use this moving forward. We got a great performance from Heather and if all three of them pitch like they did today, we're going to do good things. Offensively, the lineup did a good job of picking each other up and we got a nice mix of some power and some small ball where we could utilize our speed. All in all, it was a great day for the Eagles!"
