Softball Splits Senior Day Finale

LAKELAND, Fla. — In the final home doubleheader of the season, the Fire softball team won a 1-0 extra-inning contest against Warner before dropping a 7-3 decision in the finale.
With an 18-6 record in league play, the Fire finished second, a game behind Thomas in the regular season standings.
It was a freshman that helped the Fire win the first game over Warner, picking up a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, scoring Sam Holcomb to give SEU the lone run of the contest.
Hannah Bodenhorn was stellar in the circle, improving to 18-4 on the year in a 15-strikeout complete game shutout. The junior scattered three hits, walked one, and hit two.
Bodenhorn was tested early, issuing a leadoff walk and a hit by pitch in the top of the first, but stranded two in scoring position with a strikeout to end the inning.
That started a streak of 10 straight hitters retired by the Nashville native until a hit by pitch in the top of the fourth, but again, a strikeout looking ended that inning.
SEU had its best opportunity to score in regulation during the bottom of the third, getting a leadoff walk to Haleigh Harrell, and a single by Brandee Pietrzak with two outs, but a fly out by Kiah Ferrell ended the inning.
In the seventh, Bodenhorn had to come up with another inning-ending strikeout with two on and two out to give her team a chance to win.
A diving catch by Ferrell in the top of the eighth on a bunt attempt with one out froze the international tiebreaker runner at second, and Bodenhorn ended the inning with another strikeout, to secure her seventh shutout of the season.
Junior Heather Faulk, who was 3-for-3 in the game, was the only player on the roster with more than one hit in the game.
In Game 2, the Fire answered a Sarah Bruno sacrifice fly with one by Sam Holcomb to tie the game. Pietrzak gave the Fire a 2-1 advantage with an infield single to third.
The Royals answered right back in the third with an RBI double, then a two-run homer by Bruno, her league-leading 13th of the year, gave Warner the lead for good.
The Royals went on to add three more in the fifth with an RBI triple, and a pair of RBI singles.
In her final game on campus, Pietrzak recorded her 42nd RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth.
The Fire stranded nine baserunners and committed 12 fly outs, with just one extra-base hit in the contest.
Lauren Watters had two of SEU’s five hits in the game.
Southeastern will be the No. 2 seed in next weekend’s Sun Conference Tournament at the Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont. The Fire will play Thursday at 6:30 p.m. against the winner of the Keiser/Warner game that afternoon.