LAKE WALES, Fla. - In a rare Sunday doubleheader, Warner University softball team picked up their second consecutive Sun Conference sweep with a pair of wins over Northwood University at Daly Field. The Lady Royals won game one 6-3 and game two 3-2 to move above .500 for the first time this season (11-9-1) and are now 5-1 in league play. The Seahawks drop to 14-18 and remain winless in conference play at 0-8.
The Warner offense gave starter
Erika Shick a 3-1 lead after the first two innings of game one.
Makenzie Garcia opened the scoring with a RBI-single in the first inning that scored
Kaitlyn Ficarrotta and
Nicole Comstock. The Lady Royals added their third run in the second inning thanks to a defensive miscue by the Seahawks.
After the Seahawks scored twice to tie the game in the top of the fourth inning,
Melissa Costero singled home
Brittany Winget in the bottom of the inning for what would be the winning run. Shick contributed to her own cause with a sac fly in the fifth and Winget delivered a RBI-single in the inning as well to extend the Warner lead to 6-3.
Shick (1-4) went four innings in the circle for the Lady Royals before giving way to Winget. Shick scattered eight hits and three runs in the start. Winget collected her first save of the season with three shutout innings to close out the game. She scattered three hits and struck out to batters.
The Lady Royals scored six runs on nine hits in game one. Winget was perfect at the plate going 3-for-3 with a run scored and a run batted in. Costero also had a multi-hit game going 2-for-4.
In game two, the Warner offense again scored three earlier runs and led 3-0 after three complete innings.
Chelsie Valentine (7-2) got the start in game two and made the three runs stand up going the distance in a complete game six hitter. The Haines City, Fla. native retired nine Seahawk batters in a row at one point and picked up her seventh victory of the season.
At the plate,
Makenzie Garcia continued her hot hitting weekend with a double to left field that opened the scoring for the Lady Royals. Shick drove in the second run of the inning with her second sac fly of the day.
Nicole Comstock singled home the winning run in the third inning and Valentine along with the Warner defense took care of the rest in a 3-2 victory.
Garcia had the only multi-hit performance in game two for the Lady Royals. She finished the game 2-for-3 with a double.
Jelisa Potter went 1-for-3 with a stolen base as well.
Next week's schedule features a lone midweek doubleheader for the Lady Royals. On Thursday, April 2, the Lady Royals travel to take on Ave Maria University in their fourth Sun Conference series of the season. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. in Ave Maria, Fla.
