Softball Opens 2019 Going 3-1

Leesburg, Fla. – During their first weekend of the play, the Lake-Sumter State College softball team opened up the 2019 season with a 3-1 record.

Georgia Highlands made the trip down I75 to take on the Lakehawks on Opening Day this past Friday. Game one of the two game set was a tight one all the way through.

Abbey Primavera took the circle in the first contest and was lights out. The sophomore tossed five innings allowing four hits and one run while striking out three. The offense helped out early with an RBI from Taylor Dotson in the first inning and Jennifer Bryant crossing home on a passed ball in the second. After GHC got on the board in the fifth, the Lakehawks answered back with a run of their own. Allie Geier took over in the circle to start the sixth and shutdown the Chargers offense to earn her first save of the year in the 3-2 victory.

Game two saw the bats come alive for both squads. LSSC managed to get on the board first with a run scored by Casey Allen scampering home on a passed ball. GA Highlands took a four run lead before the Lakehawks hit in the fourth inning having plated two runs in the third and three more in the top of the fourth. A three run bottom half of the fourth, followed by a two run fifth gave LSSC a 6-5 lead. The Chargers notched one run in each the sixth and seventh innings and went into the bottom of the seventh ahead, 7-6. Back to back ground outs from the first two hitters gave the Lakehawks a minimal chance to win the ball game. Dotson reached on a single and was removed for a pinch runner in the form of Amanda Quinby. Allen followed that up by reaching first on a hard shot to the shortstop. A double steal put both runners in scoring position with Ashlyn Allen at the dish. Allen hit a rocket to the shortstop who could not make the play, sending the ball into centerfield and bringing in both runners with the walk-off hit. Cissy Doolittle got the win in the game, the first of her collegiate career.

Saturday was the annual JUCO Classic in Clearwater. Game one against Broward College did not go as planned for the Lakehawks as they fell in six innings, 11-3. Brandi Davis was tagged with the loss after going three innings and not allowing an earned run to cross home plate.

The final game of the weekend was against the preseason No. 5 team in Region 8, Indian River State College. Lake-Sumter trailed 3-0 after the top of the first, but answered back with one run in the bottom half of the first inning and one more run in the second. IRSC grew their lead in the top of the fourth by adding two more runs for a 5-2 lead. The Lakehawks were not going away and got one run closer in the bottom of the fourth off the bat of Quinby who drove in Bryant from third. It was inning five where LSSC really turned on the offense to the tune of three runs on two hits, a walk and a defensive miscue by the Pioneer defense. The big hit came when Dotson entered the game off the bench in a pinch hit situation and drove in Turner for the go ahead run. Abbey Primavera tossed the final three innings allowing just one base runner on the way to her second victory of the weekend.

"You know, it was a good start to the season," said Head Coach, Jay Miller. "This first weekend always tells us what we need to work on moving forward and what we need to concentrate on in practice to become the team we know we can be."

Softball will hit the road Thursday to take on Polk State in double header action with first pitch scheduled for 4 pm. South Florida State College will be in Leesburg on Friday for a two game set with games starting at 1 and 3.