LAKELAND, Fla. — No. 6 Southeastern saw a late lead slip away on Tuesday afternoon, dropping the opening game of a key Sun Conference series to No. 11 St. Thomas, 5–4, at the SEU Softball Field.
The Fire (28–3, 9–1 SUN) answered early adversity with a strong middle-inning surge. After St. Thomas jumped ahead on a two-run home run in the second, Southeastern responded in the bottom half, tying the game on RBI hits from
Lauren Sekinger and
Ella Brooks. In the third, the Fire took control as
Raylei McKinney and
Erica Ramsey launched back-to-back solo home runs to give SEU a 4–2 advantage.
St. Thomas (23–6, 7–1 SUN) chipped away in the fifth, capitalizing on a single and a defensive miscue to even the score at 4–4. The Bobcats then pushed across the go-ahead run in the sixth, taking advantage of another error and aggressive baserunning to claim a 5–4 lead.
Southeastern threatened late, putting two runners on in the seventh, but was unable to find the equalizer. The Fire finished with eight hits, led by McKinney's three-hit performance, while Brooks, Ramsey, and Sekinger each drove in a run.
Maria Zelenka took the loss in the circle, allowing five runs (three earned) while striking out seven across 5.1 innings.
Edan Playa provided 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to keep SEU within striking distance.
The two teams will conclude the series on Wednesday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. in Lakeland.
