Eagles beat Palm Beach State to extend season

VERO BEACH, Fla. (May 1, 2015) – FCSAA No. 7 Tallahassee Community College kept its season alive with a 5-2 win over Palm Beach State College to close day one at the NJCAA District/FCSAA State Softball Tournament at Historic Dodgertown. 

Tallahassee (30-16) advances in the loser's bracket where it will meet a familiar foe, Panhandle Conference rival Northwest Florida State College, at 10 a.m. Saturday in the first elimination round of the day. The Eagles will need wins at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. to move into Sunday's championship round. 

Tallahassee and Northwest Florida State split four regular season meetings.  

Coming off a 7-2 loss to top-ranked College of Central Florida in Friday's opening round game, the Eagles needed a fast start against Palm Beach State and delivered. 

Just as it did against Central Florida, Tallahassee plated two runs in its first at-bat. Unfortunately, as they did against the Patriots, the Eagles also left the bases loaded in the first, missing out on a chance to bust the game wide open. 

Tallahassee pushed its lead to 3-0 in the second but hit into the first of three inning-ending double plays, thus keeping the Panthers within striking distance. 

After the teams traded runs, Tallahassee led 4-1, but Palm Beach State got one back on Virginia Spring's solo homer in the sixth. 

The Eagles scored a huge insurance run in the top of the seventh. After Kiara Johnson doubled, pinch runner Shelby Manns advanced to third on a wild pitch then scored when Jaylene Pryor reached on an error. 

Alexandra Cook relieved starter and winning pitcher Gabrielle Decker to start the seventh and promptly retired the first two batters she faced. But a two-out error extended the game and the Panthers eventually loaded the bases and brought Spring to the plate representing the winning run. 

Cook, however, won the battle, striking out Spring swinging to end the game to notch the save. 

Tallahassee had 10 hits, led by Brooke Marendino, who was 3-for-3. Danielle Patterson and Taesha DuBoise had two hits each.