Softball team earns split behind some big performances

The Eastern Florida State College softball team earned a split in a Citrus Conference doubleheader on the road Tuesday afternoon.

The No. 14 ranked Titans lost the first game 4-3 and then won the second game 4-2 at Daytona State College.

In Game 1 of the doubleheader, the Falcons scored four runs in the first three innings and held a 4-1 lead.

But the Titans would score twice as Maci Vonderstrasse and Jenna Borkey would score on an errant throw, cutting the Daytona State College lead to 4-3. Eastern Florida State College would try to tie the game in the seventh, but Daytona State College picked up the win.

Alanna O'Brien came into the game in relief and shut out the Falcons for four innings, allowing two hits and struck out two.

"Alanna threw well in relief, she was able to elevate her rise ball and kept them off balance with her curve, and induced a lot of fly ball outs," Eastern Florida State College softball coach Shelby Petik said.

Borkey had two of the team's four hits in the game and also drive in a run.

In Game 2, Hannah Strickland took the mound and picked up another win for the Titans, allowing a couple of runs in a complete game win.

The freshman struck out four hitters and allowed single runs in the second and fourth innings to pick up her fifth win of the season.  

"Hannah has been doing a really good job, throwing strikes consistently, hitting the corners and keeping batters guessing. She has been throwing well," Petik said.

The Titans took the lead in the fourth inning as Borkey scored on Vonderstrasse's sacrifice bunt.

The Falcons would tie the game 2-2 in the fifth inning, but the Titans took the lead for good in the sixth inning.

Samantha Clark opened with a single, then after the Falcons got two out, Vonderstrasse reached on an error. Kyla Leppin stepped into the batters box. Leppin hit the 1-0 pitch deep to left field, scoring two runs with the double.

"Kyla has had great at-bats all year, she has had fantastic hitting practices so that is something we have been reinforcing the positive swings she has been taking," Petik said. "She has been consistent in games, so we have known this kind of production was coming."

Leppin and Brooke Theisen each had two hits in the game. Borkey had two more stolen bases in the game and has 25 stolen bases this season.

Eastern Florida State College, who is 17-5 overall and 2-4 in the conference, will travel to the College of Central Florida on Thursday for a conference doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The Patriots come into the matchup 4-0 in the conference and No. 8 in the latest national poll.