Softball team sweeps Miami Dade on the road Saturday

The Eastern Florida State College softball team moved into second place in the Southern Conference standings with a sweep of Miami Dade College Saturday afternoon in Miami.

The Titans won the first game 5-4 in eight innings and then 8-0 in five innings to improve to 13-9 in the conference and 25-21 overall.

Trinity Howard took the mound for Game 1 and the Titans gave her the lead in the first inning, taking advantage of some early wildness to take a 1-0 lead.

Miami Dade would tie the game in the second inning and take a 3-2 lead in the third inning. It would remain that way until the top of the sixth inning when Molly Reid stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded. The sophomore hammered a pitch to right field scoring three runs and giving the Titans a 4-2 lead.

But Miami Dade would tie the game back up in the bottom of the inning.

Makenzie Fore walked to open the top of the eighth inning and went to second on Kaitlyn Wilson's sacrifice bunt. Sarah Leach came in to pinch run and would eventually score on a passed ball.

Howard would strike out two including the final hitter to lock up the win.

Mandy Hedetniemi-Taylor took the mound for Game 2 and once again the Titans got on the board in the top of the first inning as Kayla Domon singled and would score later in the inning.

The Titans would make it 2-0 in the second inning as Courtney Stout doubled and scored on a Rachel Lamoureaux single.

Eastern Florida State College would break the game open in the third inning, sending 12 hitters to the plate and scored six times to take an 8-0 lead.

From there Hedetniemi-Taylor made sure that the Sharks would not get back into the game, getting out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth inning with a groundout back to her and hen closed the game with a strikeout in the fifth.

"The team is locked in and just enjoying competing!" Eastern Florida State College softball coach Shelby Petik said. "At this point in the season there are no secrets, we just have to go out there and perform. They are playing with confidence."

Eastern Florida State College will wrap up the conference regular season with a doubleheader at home against South Florida State College Wednesday. The first game will begin at 4 p.m. and admission is free at Titan Softball Complex.