Head Coach Kim Dean's Comments On The Final Day Of The UF Invitational & First Win Of Season Over Charlotte

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Georgia Southern finished action in the UF Bubly Invitational on Sunday by splitting a pair of contests. The Eagles defeated Charlotte, 13-5, in six innings in the day's first game, then fell to No. 6 Florida, 11-0, in five innings in the second contest.

Georgia Southern finishes the weekend with a 1-4 mark in its second trip to Gainesville in school history. Florida went an unbeaten 5-0 during the weekend, while Charlotte finished 1-3. 

The Eagles will return to action on Friday and Saturday, February 26 and 27, traveling to Jacksonville to take on the University of North Florida in a three-game set from Jacksonville. Friday's game will be a 4 p.m. first pitch and Saturday's doubleheader begins at Noon.

GAME ONE: Georgia Southern 13, Charlotte 5 (6 inn.)

Charlotte struck first in the day's first contest, getting an RBI double from Kiyah Garrett to take a 1-0 lead. The Eagles answered with a run in the bottom half of the frame as Ashlynn Gunter scored on a wild pitch.

The Eagles loaded the bases in the bottom of the second inning for fifth-year Mekhia Freeman, who tripled to right center field to clear the bases, driving in three, to put Georgia Southern in front 4-1. Faith Shirley added an RBI single to cap the four-run inning and make the score 5-1.

Charlotte plated two runs in the third inning, but the Eagles answered with three more runs in the bottom of the third, highlighted by an RBI single by Freeman, to make the score 8-3.

Cori Henderson had a solo home run in the fourth for the Niners, and Bailey Vannoy's RBI triple in the fifth cut the Georgia Southern lead to 8-5, but the Eagles put the game away with two runs in the fifth - on an RBI triple by sophomore Bailee Wilson and an RBI double by fifth-year Alia Booth - and three runs in the sixth, highlighted by Freeman's two-run triple.

Sophomore Aaliyah Garcia (1-1) notched the win in the circle for Georgia Southern, hurling six innings, giving up eight hits and five runs, walking two while striking out six. Madelyn Wright (1-1) took the loss for Charlotte, giving up six hits and five runs in two innings of work, walking two and striking out one.

Freeman's 4-for-5 day at the plate included a career-high six RBIs to lead the Eagles offensively. She is only the fifth player in Georgia Southern softball history to have six or more RBIs in a game, and the latest to do it since Lexi Allen had six against Appalachian State on April 4, 2015. She is also the fourth Eagle to have two triples in a game, and the first since Tara Anderson did it against Georgia College on February 22, 1996.

GAME TWO: No. 6 Florida 11, Georgia Southern 0 (5 inn.)

Florida's Elizabeth Hightower (3-0) hurled a five-inning one-hitter, striking out eight, to lead the Gators past the Eagles in the final game of the Invitational.

The Gators put up a five-run first inning to build an early lead, then got two runs in the third and four runs in the fifth. 

Eagles freshman Dejah Mills drew a one-out walk from Hightower in the top of the fifth, and sophomore Linzie Lafavor doubled to left to give the Eagles runners at second and third, but Hightower closed out the game with back-to-back strikeouts.

Senior Rylee Waldrep (0-1) took the loss for the Eagles in the circle, giving up five hits and five runs - two earned - in 2/3rds of an inning of work, striking out one.