MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Fire softball team accomplished something no team had in 2025—beat St. Thomas University at home. Powered by timely hitting and another dominant outing from Maria Zelenka, No. 16 Southeastern University dealt No. 15 St. Thomas its first home loss of the season, 3-1, on Thursday afternoon.
The Fire struck first in the opening frame. Ella Brooks drew a walk and advanced to second on a fielding error off Gonzalez's grounder. McKinney then capitalized with an RBI double to put SEU ahead, 1-0.
St. Thomas responded in the second with a two-out RBI double following a hit-by-pitch, but it would be the last time the Bobcats scored. Zelenka allowed just three hits over the final four innings and ended the game with a strikeout.
With the game tied 1-1 in the top of the fourth, Nicole Wasserstrom drove in Hailey Brooks—who reached on an error—for the go-ahead run. One batter later, Hailey Bradley added an insurance run with an RBI fielder's choice, giving SEU a 3-1 lead they would not relinquish.
Zelenka continued her impressive run in the circle, limiting a Bobcat lineup that entered the day averaging 5.7 runs per game to just one earned run on five hits. She struck out seven in the complete-game victory and issued just one walk.
The win marked Southeastern's 10th in a row and snapped a 16-game winning streak for the Bobcats, along with their 27-game home win streak dating back to last season. SEU improved to 34-6 overall and 16-3 in Sun Conference play, pulling within a game of first-place St. Thomas (17-2, 40-5).
Zelenka (15-3) is now unbeaten in her last four starts and has allowed just one earned run over her last 30.1 innings—a 0.23 ERA—across six appearances, which also include two saves.
Southeastern racked up nine hits in the contest, with McKinney, Wasserstrom, and Chapel Cunningham each collecting two. McKinney doubled and drove in a run, while Wasserstrom and Cunningham added two singles apiece. Leah Gonzalez chipped in a double and a walk, and Lauren Sekinger and Kassidy Moore each recorded a base hit.
The Fire and Bobcats will conclude their three-game series on Friday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
