WINTER HAVEN, Fla.—The Fire softball team scored its first win of the 2020 season to salvage a split with 15
th-ranked Olivet Nazarene during the first day of play at the RussMatt Softball Tournament.
Southeastern dropped the first game 8-3 before using a seven-run second inning to beat the Tigers 7-2 in the second game.
Trailing 3-0 heading to the fourth,
Bailee Moll launched a two-run homer over the left field wall to bring the Fire within a run. It was the senior's second home run of the season. However, the Tigers answered with a five-run bottom half of the inning to take control of the contest.
Moll finished the first game 2-for-3.
Half of the team's hits in the game came from the bat of junior
Lauren Watters, who was 3-for-3.
Peyton Varela pitched 3.1 innings in her SEU debut, surrendering six earned on 12 hits.
In the second game, ONU picked up an RBI double followed by an RBI single to take a 2-0 lead before the Fire picked up a bat.
Freshman
Erica Stahl ripped an RBI double off the top of the left field wall to get the Fire within a run, then a walk to
Madison Williams loaded the bases for senior
Sam Holcomb. After just missing the first pitch, Holcomb drove the second pitch well beyond the center field wall for a grand slam and to give the Fire the lead.
"We squared balls up," said coach
Kayla Watkins of the difference at the plate. "The first pitcher we saw was throwing a little bit harder and was all around the zone, but the two pitchers we saw in the second game, it was a little bit easier to make decisions, and we capitalized early."
Watters drove in two more later that inning with a single to right field.
From that point on freshman
Megan Froehlich coasted to her first collegiate win, tossing a complete game, giving up two runs on six hits with three strikeouts and three walks. She retired eight straight from the fourth through the sixth.
"I thought she got better as we went," said Watkins of Froehlich. "The more we saw their hitters the more we knew how to get at them, and she did a really good job, once we knew what the game plan needed to be executing it."
Stahl was 2-for-3 in the second contest.
The Fire return to action on Saturday with a mixed doubleheader against Roosevelt and Olivet Nazarene starting at 10 a.m.
