Sarah Olin, Staff Writer
The Armstrong Pirate softball team had a successful performance at the PBA Sailfish Softball Showdown this weekend in West Palm Beach, Florida. The team finished 5-1 with a third place finish at the event.
The team opened up the tournament with a pair of wins over Barry and Palm Beach Atlantic on Friday. The Pirates, on Saturday, crushed the Nova Southeastern Sharks, 10-1 in five innings, but wilted in a losing effort against the Florida Tech Panthers, 8-2.
Freshman Sierra Peebles only allowed the Sharks two hits in her complete game performance. The Pirate’s scored five runs in the third inning to seal the win.
Freshmen Lexie Stohr and Connor Weaver each earned themselves two RBI’s in the game. Freshman Macy Coleman had two hits, one of which was a double.
Peebles stood out as she struck out two and only gave up two hits to make this her first collegiate shutout.
“I thought the tournament went really well this weekend,” Peebles said. “I felt really good about my first shutout, but I wasn’t the only one who got it. My defense behind me helped me get that shutout. We all played hard this weekend as a team.”
In the second game, sophomore Lindsay Stewart and Coleman took to the scoreboard with RBI singles, giving the Pirates a lead in the second inning. The Panthers’ Nicole Shinsky retaliated with a RBI single in the third inning, then took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, due to an error by the Pirates and an RBI double by Ashley Morrison. Five unearned runs in the seventh inning by the Panthers closed off the game.
Rachel Pence took the win for the Panthers, allowing six hits and two unearned runs in the seventh, walking two but striking out five. Junior Tori Bates took the loss for the Pirates, allowing five hits and three runs, two earned. Bates walked two and struck out two in three and a half innings of work.
The Pirates wrapped up the Tournament on Sunday with a 4-1 victory over the Lynn University Knights.
Junior Hannah Reppert’s RBI double and junior Jane Trzaska’s RBI single allowed the Pirates a 2-0 lead over the Knights by the fourth inning. Freshman Logan Harrell’s RBI double and sophomore Autumn Parrish’s RBI groundout doubled the score to 4-0 by the fifth inning.
Francais Olexa took the loss for Lynn, allowing nine runs, four hits, and walking three in the seven innings. Peebles picked up the win for the pirates, only giving up three hits, one unearned run, walking only one and striking out two. Freshman Morgan Duff had two hitless innings allowing the Pirate’s to secure the win.
Armstrong State, now 8-4 on the season, will return to the field to host the Pirate Softball Classic II on Saturday, Feb 20, featuring Mount Olive and Queens with games starting at 12 p.m.
