LAKELAND, Fla.—The schedule will slow down slightly for the Fire softball team, having just finished a stretch of 14 games during the first 17 days of March.
Just 10 Sun Conference doubleheaders remain for Southeastern, which picked up its first two league wins of the year on Saturday, sweeping St. Thomas 8-5 and 11-2.
Over their last 10 games, the Fire are hitting .289 as a team, recording 24 hits during the St. Thomas doubleheader, and now have a season average of .312, which is third in The Sun Conference. Freshman
Haleigh Harrell is second in the league with a .442 season average, with a team-high 10 doubles.
The Fire pitching staff has proven to be one of the best in the league, posting a team ERA of 2.31, and opponents hitting just .207 against.
Hannah Bodenhorn has recorded 112 strikeouts in 80 innings of work, walking just 20 hitters.
On Thursday, Southeastern will face Warner for a doubleheader in Lake Wales. The defending conference champions, who advanced to the NAIA World Series last season, are currently 18-7 on the year and 3-1 in conference play. On March 10th, the Royals defeated No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett 7-3 in Columbus, Ga.
Sara Bruno is the top offensive threat for the Royals, hitting .400 with a conference-best 31 RBIs, which ranks ninth nationally. The sophomore has eight doubles and seven home runs, which is eighth in the NAIA.
Sylvia Welsh has thrown a team-high 69.2 innings with 52 strikeouts, and is 9-1 with a 2.01 ERA on the year.
Saturday, the Fire will travel to Webber International, looking to avenge two losses earlier this season. On February 24
th, the Warriors won both games of a doubleheader in Lakeland, 1-0 and 5-3.
Like Southeastern, the Webber pitching has been its key to success, posting a 2.42 team ERA in 130 innings, with opponents hitting .232 against. Sabrina Hebding and Raven White each have five wins on the year.
Offensively, Megan Isoba is fresh off of conference player of the week accolades after hitting two home runs in a 6-2 win over No. 17 USCB. She's currently hitting .319 with three doubles.
