Lady Falcons Split Doubleheader To Gain Season's First Victory
 

RALEIGH, NC (Feb 16) – On Thursday, Saint Augustine's University scored two runs in the seventh inning to beat Claflin University 6-5 at Adden Street Field in Orangeburg, S.C. for its first softball win of the season. In the first game of a doubleheader, the Lady Falcons lost 8-6.

Makayla August (Fr./Palm Springs, CA) and Haley Sessoms (Fr./Kenansville, NC) produced the game-winning runs for the Lady Falcons. An RBI single by August scored Tamiera Sanchez (Fr./Sacramento, CA) and Sessoms scored on a double steal in the seventh inning.

The Lady Falcons (1-3 overall) held on in the bottom half of the seventh after the Lady Panthers scored one run with one out. August, who pitched the last two innings, forced consecutive groundouts to preserve the victory for the Lady Falcons.

August, who gained the pitching victory, was the top hitter in the second game. She batted 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored.

The trio of Jasmine Rios (Jr./Greensboro, NC), Marley Parker (Jr./Langley, British Columbia) and Sanchez each collected a double for the Lady Falcons, who totaled nine hits. Kayla Cato was 2-for-3 with a double and one run scored for the Lady Panthers (4-4 overall), who had nine hits.

The Lady Falcons took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Parker scored Rios on an RBI double and Meranda Zanni (Sr./Phoenix, OR) scored Parker on an RBI groundout. After the Lady Panthers scored one run in the second, the Lady Falcons tacked on a run in the fourth when August scored on a Sanchez RBI double. The Lady Panthers gained a 4-3 lead with three runs in the fifth but the Lady Falcons tied the score in the sixth on an RBI double by Rios which scored Korey Hill (Sr./Virginia Beach, VA) and set up the dramatic finish.

In the first game, the Lady Falcons fell behind 4-0 in the first inning but rallied ahead 6-4 in the second inning. Both Akera McPhaul (Jr./Greensboro, NC) and Zanni scored on passed balls and Rios scored on an RBI double by Haili Pettifer (Jr./Langley, British Columbia), who later tied the game on a passed ball. The Lady Falcons surged ahead on a two-run double by Sessoms which scored Parker and August. The Lady Panthers tied the score with two runs in the fourth and led for good with one run each in the fifth and sixth innings.

Pettifer and Zanni each batted 2-for-4 with one run scored for the Lady Falcons, who finished with 10 hits. Sessoms had two RBIs and Pettifer added an RBI. Shaquailla German was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored for the Lady Panthers, who had five hits.

The Lady Falcons will visit St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, N.C. on Sunday, Feb. 19. Game times are 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.