LAKELAND, Fla.—Southeastern scored an 11-inning victory in the first game of a doubleheader split with the University of British Columbia on Saturday to move to 9-5 on the season before a 7-4 loss in the finale.
The first game was scoreless through eight innings due to stellar pitching on both sides. None of the five runs scored in the game were earned and there was just one walk and one hit by pitch in a combined 280 pitches.
Edan Playa earned the win working 3.2 innings in relief with three strikeouts.
Maria Zelenka worked the first 7.1 innings with four strikeouts and no runs on six hits.
Leah Gonzalez came through with a two-out single through the right side in the ninth to match the UBC run in the top of the inning. The Thunderbirds scored in the 10
th on a single to center field but ended up leaving the bases loaded in the inning after scoring just one. The Fire were able to match again with a
Paityn Moore sacrifice fly to send the game to the 11
th.
A strikeout by Playa to start the 11
th was crucial as she then coaxed a groundout to first and a foul out to first to give the Fire a chance in the bottom of the inning.
Ella Brooks led off the inning with a bunt single to move
Raylei McKinney to third and then was squeezed home on bunt by
Chapel Cunningham to win the game.
Gonzalez and
Lauren Sekinger led the offense with two hits each.
Sekinger gave the Fire the lead in the second game with a second inning single to center field to score
Riley Sanders, then scored on a two-out single to right by
Danielle Wasserstrom.
UBC came back with two in the third and two more in the fourth, and added three in the fifth.
Gonzalez helped the Fire chip away at the deficit with an RBI double to right and a groundout to second base by
Nicole Wasserstrom scored Cunningham from third.
Thunderbird pitcher Carleen Murray retired seven of the last eight she faced to pick up her third win of the season.
Brooks and Cunningham had two hits each for the Fire.
Next up will be a trip to Gulf Shores, Ala. for the Gulf Coast Invitational starting on Friday with games against LSU Alexandria and William Woods.
