TCC splits pair at JUCO Kickoff Classic, ends weekend 3-2

CLEARWATER, Fla. (January 26, 2013) - FCSAA No. 2 Tallahassee Community College split a pair of games on Saturday at the JUCO Kickoff Classic and ended its season-opening weekend with three wins in five games over the two days of action. 

Tallahassee won Saturday's first game, defeating South Georgia College, 9-7, but fell to Illinois Central College, 3-2, in its final game of the event. 

In the opener against South Georgia, Tallahassee trailed 4-0 but, with a little help from the Tigers' pitching staff who walked in three runs, exploded for seven runs in the fifth inning. 

Still, it took a two-run single in the top of the seventh from Te Reo Powhiri Matautia to deliver what proved to be the winning runs. 

Marina Cobbs was also 2-for-4 with a run scored. 

Ashley Dobson, who picked up two wins on Friday's opening day at the tournament, was the winning pitcher. She entered in the fourth in relief of starter Krysta Hoani. 

Dobson suffered her first loss of the season in the finale against Illinois Central. 

Trailing 3-0, the Eagles tried to mount another comeback, scoring single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. 

Matautia reached on a error, allowing pinch runner Dominique Davis to score from second with Tallahassee's first run of the game. An inning later, Brenda Santana's RBI-single plated Alexis Huss, who had reached on a double, to pull the Eagles within a run. 

That, however, was as close as Tallahassee got. 

Huss and Santana were both 2-for-3. 

Tallahassee (3-2) will return to action on Saturday, February 2 when it opens play at the prestigious Triple Crown College Classic in St. Augustine, Fla. 

The Eagles will again play five games over two days, beginning with an 11 a.m. contest against Brevard Community College on February 2.