CLEMMONS, N.C. – The Paine College softball team split a pair of games on Day 2 of the NCCAA South Regional.
After losing to No. 1 Carolina University 10-2, the Lady Lions battled back to stave off elimination with a 9-4 win over No. 3 Fort Lauderdale.
PC jumped on top with a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when
Leticia Y. Omori's groundout allowed
Dara Ayovi to score. Ayovi led off the game with a walk before moving to third.
Tied at 1-1 in the fourth, the Lady Lions took a 2-1 working margin. Segura reached on an error by the center fielder and promptly hustled to third. Three batters later,
Montana Cagle's single plated her for the one-run advantage.
The Bruins took control with eight runs in the fifth and another in the sixth for the 10-2 victory. For the game, Ayovi, Cagle,
Ka'niyah Robertson and
Katherine Sugilio each had a hit. Cagle ad Omori each drove in a run while Ayovi and
Emmy Segura scored.
In the circle, Cagle took the loss. She tossed 4.2 innings and had a strikeout. Omori worked two-thirds of a frame and had a strikeout.
Shortly after the first game of the day, PC stayed alive with a 9-4 victory over Fort Lauderdale. The Lady Lions led 1-0 in the first when Segura ripped a single that scored Ayovi.
Tied at 1-1 in the second, Ayovi's sacrifice fly scored Cagle. Segura singled home
Katherine Garcia, who had walked earlier in the frame for a 3-1 margin.
The Lady Lions added to the lead in the fourth when Sugilio's double scored Ayovi, who had reached on an error.
Tied at 4-4 in the fifth, PC broke open the game when Sugilio singled in Blackmon, who was in for Cagle as a pinch runner. Segura's single plated Robertson for a 6-4 edge.
Brionna King singled home Omori and Sugilio for a four-run advantage. PC tacked on a run in the sixth when Robertson doubled in Cagle, who led off the frame with a single.
For the game, Cagle, Segura and Sugilio had three hits apiece. Segura drove in three while Sugilio had two RBI. King drove in two. Omori and Robertson each had two hits. Ayovi and Cagle each crossed home twice.
Destiny Lawrence got the start and worked 4.1 innings. She struck out two. Cagle closed out the win with 2.2 innings pitched and a strikeout.
The Lady Lions return to action Wednesday when they play top-seeded Carolina. PC needs to win two games to advance while the Bruins only need one win for the NCCAA South Regional Championship.
