Eight runs in the bottom of the fourth inning helped catapult Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) past the Hofstra University softball team by a score of 10-2 on the second day of the FGCU Eagle Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 14.
For the Pride, Emma Falen took the mound in her second start of the season. She pitched 3.1 innings, struck out one batter, walked four, gave up three runs and earned the loss on the evening.
For the Eagles, Grace Taylor took the mound for her fourth start of the season. She went the full five innings, struck out three batters, walked one, gave up two earned runs and earned the victory.
FGCU had the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the first, but Falen was able to get Mackenzie Leiti to strike out and to strand the three baserunners.
In the top of the third inning, Hofstra had runners on second and third. Chelsea Villar drove in Mackenzie Fitzgerald and Gemma D’Orazio with a single through the second base gap to open the scoring and give the Pride a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, a Presley Smith ground ball down the third base line helped both Leiti and Parris Wiggs score for the Eagles. This double tied the game at two and ended Falen’s evening, since Hofstra head coach Susan Cassidy-Lyke chose to bring in Kailyn Haig for her first collegiate appearance.
The Eagles struck again in the bottom of the fourth when an Olivia Black groundball on the right side of the infield led Ally Thompson to score and gave FGCU a 3-2 lead.
FGCU once again added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth; Sietske Drijvers sent a dribbler up the middle that scored Kiki Daniels and extended the Eagles’ lead to 4-2.
A line drive toward the right side of the infield by Tiffany Meek drove in both Black and Drijvers, pushing the Eagles’ lead to 6-2. The next at bat, Leiti, who walked to start the inning, drove a pitch to the deepest part of the ballpark to further the lead to 8-2. That pitch was the last of the night for Haig, since Hofstra brought in Emma Brennan, who got Sophie Wylie to ground out to the shortstop to end the inning.
Nikki Gibson drew a walk with the bases loaded to increase the Eagles’ lead to 9-2 in the bottom of the fifth. Leiti sent a single to shallow right field, which drove in Drijvers and walked off the action on the run rule to give the Eagles a 10-2 victory over the Pride.
Hofstra wrapped up the FGCU Eagles Classic with two games against the University of Louisiana Monroe on Sunday, Feb. 15. First pitch for game one against the Warhawks was set for 11 a.m. from Fort Myers, Florida.
