LAKELAND, Fla. – The Fire were relentless all weekend long, as they completed a rare feat by shutting out Florida Memorial in all three games of their softball series, capping it off with a Saturday doubleheader sweep, 5-0 and 7-0.
Following Maria Zelenka's shutout performance on Friday, SEU pitchers Edan Playa and Emma Vickers rose to the challenge. Playa and Vickers combined to allow just nine hits across two games, delivering a four-hitter and a five-hitter, respectively. Meanwhile, Raylei McKinney fueled the Fire's offense with a trio of home runs — a two-run shot in the first inning of game one, followed by a two-run blast and a three-run homer in the first and third innings of Game 2.
With the dominant weekend, the Fire (38-7, 20-4 Sun Conference) have now posted four consecutive shutouts. Across the series, SEU outscored the Lions (14-31, 4-20 Sun Conference) by a combined 13-0 and outhit them 26-12.
Playa (16-4) struck out eight and scattered four hits for her fifth shutout of the season, while Vickers notched her first complete-game shutout of the year, allowing five hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
McKinney finished the day 3-for-4 at the plate, smashing three home runs, scoring three runs, and driving in six. Hailey Bradley led the Fire in hits with three singles and a double, adding a run scored.
Ella Brooks contributed a double and two singles along with two runs and two stolen bases. Chapel Cunningham added three hits, two runs, and a stolen base, while Kassidy Moore powered a two-run homer and singled. Hailey Brooks chipped in two singles, and Leah Gonzalez rounded out the offense with a single, a run, three RBI, and a stolen base.
The Fire will now enjoy a four-day break before heading to Clearwater for the Sun Conference Tournament at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. SEU will face the winner of the Keiser (3) vs. New College of Florida (6) game at 6:30 p.m.
