MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- Southeastern softball (18-9, 8-1 SUN) clinched their third consecutive Sun Conference series today after splitting the doubleheader with St Thomas University.
Game one needed extra innings to decide the winner with the Bobcats eventually taking the 3-2 victory in the eighth.
The Fire tallied five hits in game one with
Leah Gonzalez claiming two of them.
In the top of the second, Gonzalez opened the scoring with a leadoff home run over the left center field wall for a one-run lead.
The Bobcats responded two innings later after back-to-back singles, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI fielder's choice tied the contest. A batter later, another sacrifice bunt scored the Bobcats' second run to take a 2-1 lead over the Fire.
Down to their final three outs, Gonzalez stepped up yet again with her second leadoff homerun of the contest to force extra innings after
Autumn Hunter worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh.
The Fire stranded the go-ahead run on third base in the top of the eighth allowing the Bobcats to walk it off with two singles in the bottom of the frame.
Hunter tossed seven innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits while
Kenzie Forrester took the loss after coming on in the eighth.
Game two was a different story for the Fire offense as they would explode for a 7-2 victory off 12 hits. The scoring started early with
Chapel Cunningham leading off the contest with a single, stealing second and scoring on a
Lauren Sekinger single up the middle. An RBI groundout by
Jamie Mead three batters later moved the Fire lead to 2-0, a lead that was doubled after a two-run, two-out single by
Kaitlyn Quillen.
In the bottom of the third, the Bobcats scratched out two off two singles and a double to move the score to 4-2.
Southeastern added two insurance runs in the top of the fourth after Mead singled to lead off the inning, stole second, and scored off a
Alex Hilton single into right field. Cunningham then picked up an RBI with an infield single to shortstop for a 6-2 Fire lead.
Quillen added her third RBI of the contest in the top of the seventh with another two-out single up the middle, securing the Fire's series victory.
Sekinger earned her second win of the series after going four innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out five. Forrester earned the save after going three innings and allowing no runs on two hits.
Quillen concluded the day going 4-7 at the plate with three RBI's.
The No. 17 ranked Fire will now return home for another SUN series against Thomas University beginning with a single contest on Tuesday at 4 p.m. and a doubleheader Wednesday at 1 and 3 p.m.
