Phelps and McQuaig Have a Big Weekend on the Diamond

Leesburg, Fla. – After a long road trip down south, the Lake-Sumter State College softball team returned home for a six game set beginning Thursday afternoon.

South Florida State met with LSSC at NTC Thursday night for a double header. The panthers were able to grab game one, 5-2.

SFS jumped out to a 2-0 lead in game two, before the bats finally broke out for Lake-Sumter. Lauryn Markis drove in the first run for the Lakehawks on a single to bring around Hailey Dobbs. A double down the left field line later that same inning by Nini Underwood, plated Markis and Jenna Curtis to put her team up, 3-2.

The pitching combination of Emily "Ernie" Murphy and Jasmine McQuaig shut the South Florida offense down the rest of the way out. LSSC added three more runs in the game with RBIs coming from Taylor Dotson (2) and Dobbs.

Murphy earned the win in the 6-2 victory, while McQuaig grabbed her first save of the season.

On Friday, Lake-Sumter welcomed Broward College for a two game set at NTC. Lakehawk pitching and offense ruled the day from the first inning of game one on. Three runs came in on two hits and two walks put LSSC up 3-0. They would go on to score two in the second, one in the third and two more in the fourth off of Rachel Phelp's second triple of the game.

McQuaig got the start in game one and tossed a complete game, one hitter. The sophomore righty allowed just one base runner all game while striking out two in the shutout with her team taking the game, 8-0 in five innings.

Abbey Primavera followed suit in game two, tossing another gem. Two runs on four hits and two walks over six innings, coupled with three strikeouts had Primavera in good shape to get the win.

It was a 1-0 ball game with the Lakehawks out in front until the offense broke through in the fifth. A bases loaded, two RBI double by Phelps gave her pitcher some breathing room. Markis was able to bring around Brooke Ferguson and Phelps on a bloop single to centerfield to go up, 5-0.

BSC scraped across two runs in the top of the sixth to get within three. After reaching on an error, Jenna Curtis came around to score with Dobbs on a single by Underwood. Ferguson knocked in Underwood in the next at bat on an infield single. Allie Geier stepped into the box and hit a walk-off inside the park home run for the 10-2 run rule victory in six innings.

The final matchup of the weekend took place at the Leesburg campus where LSSC faced off against Palm Beach State. In game one, the Panthers were able to get on the board first and shut down the Lake-Sumter bats for a 10-0, six inning victory.

Game two was a very different outcome. Ernie Murphy got her second start of the weekend going three strong innings, but she did not factor into the outcome.

It was a tightly contested 4-3 ball game until the bottom of the sixth inning. Four singles and a defensive miscue led to a seven run, game ending inning for the Lakehawks. With two outs, Dobbs knocked in Meghan Young and Geier to end the game, 11-3.

McQuaig was the pitcher of record going the final three innings not allowing a runner to get on base and striking out four to get the win.

In a week dominated by hitting and pitching, Markis led the way hitting .563. Phelps totaled 10 hits, two doubles, two triples and six stolen bases in six games. Murphy, McQuaig and Primavera combined to go 24 innings pitched, four ERs, three BBs, 13 K's and a record of 4-0 with one save.