Timely Titans Sweep Lake-Sumter

Eastern Florida's softball team turned a seven-game losing streak into a two-game winning streak on Thursday, sweeping a doubleheader from Lake-Sumter State College on the Palm Bay Campus.

The 8-1 and 7-6 victories were as different as night and day and improved the Titans record to 3-7.

Lake-Sumter fell to 4-9.

The Titans pounded out 11 hits in the first game, supporting winning pitcher Alexa Snyder who scattered seven hits.

Tamara Warren led the Titan offense with three runs batted in and a double. Natasha Kistler, Hannah Roberts, Karli Smith and Katie Darrah had two hits each.

Darrah and Rosie Lyard each scored twice.

The second game was a different story. The Titans let a 4-1 lead slip away to a 4-4 tie and a 7-4 lead slip to a 7-6 advantage, committing six errors along the way.

Lake-Sumter returned the favor with three miscues and Snyder closed out the win for Smith to get the Titans back on track.

The big hits in the second game went to Sarah Hart with a two-out, two-run second-inning double and Savannah Alley with a two-out, two-run fifth inning single that proved to be the game-winner.

"The pitching came through and the bats came through," said Eastern Florida assistant coach Bob Yanczewski.

"For us it was a good game, the first one. We needed something like that to make them relax and then we came back in the second game and got some timely hits with two outs, Savannah got that two-run single. That was good for her. She needed that for her confidence."

The Titans won the second game with a makeshift lineup due to injuries.

"We're taking right fielders and playing them at shortstop, we took a kid off the bench at second base, we took our second baseman an put her at short," Yanczewski said.

"We still managed. We hope it's a confidence builder."

The Titans next play Wednesday at 4 and 6 p.m. at Polk State College and host St. Johns River at 4 and 6 p.m. Thursday. Admission is free.