Leesburg, Fla. – Opening weekend has come and gone for the Lake-Sumter State College softball team and it has never gone better.
The Lakehawks opened their season against Georgia Highlands who made their annual trip down I-75 and pulled off into Leesburg for a double-header. Game one got off to an auspicious start with LSSC trailing 4-0 after the top of the first. Home runs by Kierston Smith and Raquel Camuglia got the team right back in the game. Alyssa Dragovich held down the circle before Jordyn Anderson took it the rest of the way with the Lakehawks winning, 8-6.
Game two saw the Lake-Sumter offense bust out another eight runs including Morgan Herndon who went 2 for 3 with a triple and two RBI's. Amber Griffin went the distance for the Lakehawks tossing seven innings, giving up just two runs while striking out three for her first win of the season.
Day two saw the team hit the road and head to Clearwater for the JUCO Kickoff Classic. The first matchup of the day had LSSC pitted against East Georgia State. A pitcher's duel ensued between the EGSC starter and the Lakehawk's Darian Pippin. Pippin held her opponent scoreless through four innings before giving up the first run of the game in the fifth. The Lakehawks struck back to take a 3-1 lead. Desiree Romeo put on a base running display that Rickey Henderson would have been proud of, stealing second, then third and scoring on an overthrow by the catcher to give her team a little insurance in the late innings. Mia Lovett came on in the seventh to close the door with a 3-up, 3-down save in the team's 5-3 victory.
Anderson took to the circle in the Lakehawks final game of the weekend against Eastern Florida State College. The freshman tossed six strong innings and kept her team in the game. Trailing 3-0 heading into the fifth, LSSC tied it up with two outs, 3-3. Kaleigh Thomas came up and drove a double to the left centerfield gap to plate Tatum McGrath and Camuglia, putting her team up 5-3. Lovett would make her second appearance of the day and lock down her second save in a 5-4 win.
Herndon opened the weekend incredibly strong hitting .625 in four games with two RBI's, two runs scored and one stolen base. Morgan Johnson led the team with six hits and a .563 on-base percentage while scoring five times and swiping two stolen bases.
The pitching staff combined for four wins and two saves with a 3.25 ERA in the opening weekend.
Lake-Sumter will be back in action Tuesday when they host Pasco-Hernando State College in double-header action. Game one will begin at 1 pm.