Softball Finishes Road Trip with Split at Webber

BABSON PARK, Fla.—The Fire ended their six-game conference road trip by splitting a doubleheader at Webber, taking the first in dominating fashion 7-0 and dropping the second in a back-and-forth competition 8-4. Over the trip, Southeastern went 4-2 and moved to 25-12 (4-4 TSC) on the year.
Production came from the bats of Haliegh Harrell, Lauren Watters and Ramsey Sullivan in game one. The trio registered eight of Southeastern’s ten hits in the contest, while Harrell and Watters combined to drive in all seven runs.
After Sullivan singled for the Fire’s first hit of the game in the top of the third, Harrell rocketed a pitch over the left field wall to get SEU on the board. The freshman’s fifth homer of the season tied Kiah Ferrell for the team lead and put Southeastern up 2-0.
In the fourth, another Sullivan single loaded the bases for Harrell, who would not disappoint at the plate. She drove in Britt Robinson and Ferrell with a double to left center, making it 4-0 Fire and notching her third and fourth RBIs of the day.
Hannah Bodenhorn ensured that Webber wouldn’t come close to scoring in the competition. The junior pitcher recorded seven of her eight strikeouts in the first three innings, while only giving up a single hit over five frames. Ferrell, who came in to relieve Bodenhorn in the sixth, capped off the shutout with two innings of no-hit work. Webber batters combined to hit .045 (1-22) against the duo.
The pitching staff wouldn’t need insurance runs, but Lauren Watters added base hits in the fifth and sixth innings to pad Southeastern’s advantage. Watters singled in Sam Holcomb to make it 5-0 before stepping up with the bases juiced in the sixth. The second baseman from Des Moines, Iowa, who ended the game 2-for-3 with three runs batted in, collected another RBI base knock that scored Heather Faulk and Harrell as the Fire took game one 7-0.
Game two featured a back-and-forth battle from the outset of the competition.
Following a Harrell leadoff single in the top of the first, Holcomb sent her fifth longball of the season down the left field line to put SEU up 2-0.
This time Webber responded. In the bottom of the frame, the Warriors notched two base hits and Megan Isoba promptly cleared the base paths with a three-run shot.
After three scoreless innings, Brandee Pietrzak led off the fifth with a double down the left field line. Pietrzak, who finished the contest 3-for-3, came in to tie the game at three on a Ferrell RBI single. However, the Warriors retook a one-run advantage in the bottom of the inning.
Harrell then doubled to lead off the sixth as the Fire attempted to tie the contest again. Britney Schmidt crossed the freshman with an RBI single up the middle to make it 4-4.
Webber seemed to have an answer every time Southeastern put runs on the board, scoring in the ensuing half inning each time the Fire did so. In the bottom of the sixth, the Warriors went up big thanks to four hits, including a grand slam by Madelyn LoCascio.
Despite getting the leadoff batter on base in five innings and putting up ten hits, the Fire were unable to rally in the seventh, falling in game two by a score of 8-4.
Southeastern will start a six-game homestand on Wednesday when they take on Keiser in a doubleheader. Competitions are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.