BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Savannah State University softball team (0-12) dropped both games on the final day of the "Strike-Out Cancer" Tournament with losses to University of Toledo (2-8) 14-4 in six innings and to host Florida Atlantic University (8-2) 7-1 at FAU Stadium.
 
Sophomore third baseman Cortni Jones led the Lady Tigers with a .500 (1-for-2) batting average with an RBI, while senior pitcher Amanda McDowell and senior left fielder Chasney Jenkins each batted .400 (2-for-5). Jenkins recorded three RBs and a triple, while McDowell scored once.
 
Senior right fielder Alexis Singleton and junior center fielder Shelby Eccles each batted .333 (2-for-6), while Singleton scored once and Eccles scored twice with a double.
 
Toledo 14, Savannah State 4 (6)
Jenkins led SSU going 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a triple, while shortstop Brianna Harris, Singleton, McDowell, freshman second baseman Alysha Bolling and Eccles each added a hit.  McDowell and Bolling scored once, while Eccles scored twice.  Sophomore pitcher Faith Dickerson (0-6) picked up the loss after pitching the first five innings. 
 
Toledo broke a scoreless tie in the top of the first inning with two runs after an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead and scored three runs in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead after two RBI doubles, an RBI single.
 
Savannah State got on the board in the bottom half of the inning with three runs to cut the Toledo lead to 5-3.  Jones started the inning with a double, followed by McDowell's hit-by-pitch to put runners on first and second with no outs.  After a sacrifice bunt for the first out and to put runners on second and third, Bolling hit an infield single to load the bases. 
 
Eccles reached on a fielder's choice to the pitcher to get an out at home for the second out.  Jenkins tripled to left center to clear the bases, but a groundout ended the inning.
 
The Rockets added a run in the fourth inning to take a 6-3 lead after an RBI double, but the Lady Tigers responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to 6-4 after Harris singled home Eccles, who double to right center.  Singleton singled and sophomore first baseman Elizabeth Humes walked to load the bases with two outs, but a groundout at first base ended the SSU threat.
 
Toledo added another run in the fifth inning to take a 7-3 lead after an RBI double, but scored seven runs in the sixth inning after a three-run homerun, an RBI double, an RBI single and a two-run triple.
 
The Rockets were led by Chandler Rice and Ashley Rausch going 3-for-4 each at the plate, while Rice added three runs scored and three RBIs and Rausch added three runs scored and two RBIs.  On the mound, Kailey Minarchick (1-2) picked up the win pitching the first four innings giving up four runs on eight hits. 
 
Florida Atlantic 7, Savannah State 1
Singleton, Humes, McDowell, junior pinch hitter Chelsea Malcolm and Eccles each recorded a hit, while Humes recorded the only RBI and Singleton scored the only run.  McDowell (0-5) picked up the loss pitching a complete game giving up seven runs on eight hits with four strikeouts.
 
Florida Atlantic broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the first inning with a run after a sacrifice fly to center field to take a 1-0 lead and added four runs in the third inning to extend its lead to 5-0 after an RBI triple, an RBI double and a two-run homerun.
 
Savannah State scored its only run in the top of the fourth inning to cut the lead to 5-1 after Humes doubled to left center to drive home Singleton, who started the inning with a five-pitch walk.  Florida Atlantic answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning after an RBI groundout to take a 6-1 lead.
 
The Lady Tigers had a chance to score some runs in the fifth inning.  With the bases loaded and one out, FAU recorded the next two outs on a fielder's choice to cut the runner out at home and a fly out to left field to leave the bases loaded.  FAU scored the final run in the sixth inning after a solo home run.
 
The Owls were led by Delaney Rickey going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Emily Lochten scored four times and Tatum Buckley recorded two RBIs.  Mia Olson (2-0) picked up the win pitching a complete game giving up one run on five hits. 
 
The Lady Tigers return to Georgia for the Black and Orange Challenge in Macon this weekend.  Savannah State faces Marist College at 1 p.m. and Mercer University at 3:15 p.m. Friday and faces Marist at 12:15 p.m. and Mercer at 4:45 p.m. Saturday and finishes the tournament with Fort Wayne at 10 a.m. Sunday.
 
Toledo 14, Savannah State 4 (Feb 19, 2017 at Boca Raton, Fla)
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Toledo.............. 230 117  - 14 15  0      (2-8)
Savannah State...... 030 100  -  4  8  2      (0-11)
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Pitchers: Toledo - Minarchick; Webb(5) and Maynard. Savannah State - DICKERSON,Faith;
MCDOWELL,AMANDA(6) and CYRUS,Kelsey.
Win-Minarchick(1-2)  Loss-DICKERSON,Faith(0-6)  T-2:10  A-100
HR TOLEDO - Maynard.
DICKERSON,F faced 3 batters in the 6th.
 
Florida Atlantic 7, Savannah State 1 (Feb 19, 2017 at Boca Raton, Fla)
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Savannah State...... 000 100 0 -  1  5  1      (0-12)
Florida Atlantic.... 104 101 X -  7  8  1      (8-2)
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Pitchers: Savannah State - MCDOWELL,AMANDA and CYRUS,Kelsey. Florida Atlantic - Olson, M. and
Burke, K..
Win-Olson, M.(2-0)  Loss-MCDOWELL,AMANDA(0-5)  T-1:40  A-337
HR FAU - Lochten, E.; Burke, K..
 
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