TSC Softball Championship - Day One Recap
Tournament Headquarters
CLERMONT, Fla. – With four games complete, day one of the 2018 Sun Conference Softball Championship Tournament concluded at Legends Way Ballfields at PFX Athletics on Wednesday.
The day began with no. 4 seed USCB defeating no. 5 seed Webber International 9-1 in six innings. Game two of the tournament featured an upset 4-1 win by no. 6 seed Keiser over no. 3 seed Warner. No. 1 seed Thomas then defeated USCB 6-1 to advance the Night Hawks to the winner’s bracket. In the final game of the day, no. 2 seed Southeastern shut out no. 6 seed Keiser 6-0 as the Fire also advanced into the winner’s bracket.
Thursday’s schedule of five games will begin with Warner vs. USCB in an elimination game at 10 a.m. followed by a second elimination game at 12 p.m. between Webber International and Keiser. At 2:30 p.m., Thomas and Southeastern will square off with the winner heading to Saturday’s championship. The day will conclude with two more elimination games.
Game Recaps:
Game 1: No. 4 USCB 9, No. 5 Webber International 1 (6 innings) - BOX SCORE
The fourth seeded Sand Sharks jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning en route to a 9-1 win via the run-rule over no. 5 seed Webber International.
Taylor Boykin hit an RBI single to score Rachel Frankhouser to begin the first-inning onslaught. With the bases loaded, Kylie Kelly then registered a two-run double that cleared the bases as an error brought home the fourth run of the inning. Alex Moore followed with an RBI-double of her own to score Kelly. Carrie Cochran then drove home Moore to cap off the six-run frame. Neither team scored in the second through the fifth innings until USCB added three more runs in the sixth to finish off the win. Kaitlyn O’Hearn hit a RBI-single which was followed by a 2-RBI double by Kelly that scored Boykin and Frankhouser for the 9-1 win.
Starting pitcher Abby Pac (16-10) earned the win for USCB, going six innings while allowing one run on just three hits while striking out six.
Webber International was led offensively by leadoff hitter Marisha Bullard who went 2-for-3. WIU starter Sabrina Hebding (7-7) was replaced in the first inning by Stephanie Johnson who pitched effectively for much of her outing, allowing three runs over 5.1 innings.
Game 2: No. 6 Keiser 4, No. 3 Warner 1 - BOX SCORE
Sixth seeded Keiser held no. 3 seed Warner to one run on just one hit and used a four-run third inning to its advantage for the 4-1 upset.
Three Seahawk pitchers – Paige Boyle, Rylee Agnew and Autumn Green combined for the one-hitter as Warner was able to score only one run, coming in the first inning. Boyle (7-7) went 2.1 innings, allowing one run and the lone WU hit which came in the form of a leadoff triple. Agnew then pitched two hitless innings with two strikeouts and three walks. Green entered the game with one out in the fifth inning and proceeded with a perfect 2.2 innings with four strikeouts to close out the game.
Kelsey Broadbeck led the Seahawks offensively with a 3-for-4 day, while Avery Miller and Janelle Dominguez each went 2-for-4 with an RBI as KU racked up 10 hits.
The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Chantal Crokett scored on a wild pitch after hitting a leadoff triple. The Seahawks answered with four runs on four hits and a Warner error to take a 4-1 lead in the third. Ally Thompson and Broadbeck opened the inning with infield singles before Miller laid down a RBI bunt single. Dominguez then laced an RBI single to left field to give KU a 2-1 lead. A fielding error along with an RBI fielder’s choice by Bermari Figueroa upped the advantage to 4-1.
Agnew and Green then took over on the mound, not allowing a hit the rest of the contest to propel Keiser to the victory.
Game 3: No. 1 Thomas 6, No. 4 USCB 1 - BOX SCORE
Top seeded Thomas advanced in the winner’s bracket with a 6-1 win over USCB in the second game of the day for the Sand Sharks.
Sun Conference Pitcher of the Year Lauren West (24-4) went six innings allowing one run on four hits to earn the win. Offensively, the Night Hawks were led by Kelsey Connolly and Corryne Diaz who each went 2-for-3 with an RBI as well as A.J. Weiss and Victoria Camina who each were 1-for-3 with two RBI.
TU jumped ahead early with a run in the first inning on a RBI single by Connolly to score Kait Stoltz. Camina then hit a 2-RBI triple in the second inning to extend the lead to 3-0.
USCB got on the board with a RBI single by Carrie Cochran in the fifth, however the Night Hawks answered back with two runs on a double by Weiss followed by an RBI double by Diaz in the bottom of the frame.
With a 6-1 lead after six innings, West handed the mound duties off to Katie Lopes who pitched a perfect seventh inning to finish off the win for Thomas.
Game 4: No. 2 Southeastern 6, No. 6 Keiser 0 - BOX SCORE
No. 2 seed Southeastern blanked sixth seeded Keiser 6-0 to advance the Fire into Friday’s winner bracket contest.
Hannah Bodenhorn (19-4) earned the win for the Fire after an impressive complete game shutout, allowing just five hits. Bodenhorn struck out two and walked two batters while not allowing an extra-base hit by the Seahawks.
SEU methodically built its lead throughout the contest scoring one run in the second inning, two in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Heather Faulk went 2-for-3 as the only hitter in the contest to record multiple hits. Britt Robinson registered an RBI single to score Ferrell to begin the scoring for the Fire in the second. Two unearned runs then came home in the fourth inning to give SEU a 3-0 advantage. Sam Holcomb then doubled in the fifth to score Perez and widen the lead even further. The Fire then scored two more unearned runs in the sixth inning to provide even more insurance for Bodenhorn who retired three of the four batters she faced in the seventh inning to cap off the victory.
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