DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Savannah State softball team fell 9-3 in Sunday's final game of a three game series with Bethune-Cookman University. The final match was a battle for first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division after the teams split a twinbill on Saturday.
Savannah State drops to 21-22 and 9-3 in the MEAC after the loss, while Bethune-Cookman improves to 26-25 and 11-1 in the conference.
The Lady Wildcats bats propelled them to the win as they rocked 12 hits to the Lady Tigers four, opening the scoring in the bottom of the first behind a single from Sabrina Ferguson that scored Aurelia Gamch who reached on single.
Savannah State answered in the top of the second inning. Freshman
Katherine Stewart blasted a 2-RBI single, scoring
Madison Hedderly who reached on a single and
Chelsea Parrish who walked for a 2-1 Lady Tiger lead.
Bethune-Cookman knotted up the score in the bottom of the same inning, behind a double from Cesley Tafoya that scored Karina Romero.
The score remained tied through the following two innings as Hedderly and Shanel Tolbert battled from the mound allowing only 1 hit apiece in the third and fourth innings.
Bethune-Cookman broke the stalemate in the bottom of the fifth, scoring 3 runs on 2 hits and 2 costly errors from the Lady Tigers, taking a 5-2 lead. Savannah State struggled to answer the runs after failing to get a runner on the final three innings.
The Lady Wildcats added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 9-2 lead. In the top of the seventh inning Hedderly added the final run with a home run over the centerfield wall.
Tolbert (26-20) picked up the win after a complete game on the mound. She allowed 3 earned runs on 4 hits with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk.
Hedderly (15-10) was tagged with the loss after six innings of work. She allowed 9 runs (5 earned) on 12 hits with 4 strikeouts and no walks. Hedderly led the Lady Tigers at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a home run.
Savannah State concludes the regular season with a three game series against South Carolina State in Orangeburg, South Carolina on May 5 and 6. They return to Daytona Beach, Fla., on May 9 – 11 for the MEAC Tournament.
