ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – Savannah State (S1) softball suffered its first loss since March in Game 7 of the 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Championship Tournament, falling to Florida A&M (S3) 9-3.
Savannah State falls into the consolation bracket. They face North Carolina A&T State (S4) at 10 a.m. on Friday. Defending MEAC Champion’s Florida A&M continues in the winner’s bracket on Friday with a 1 p.m. game against Bethune-Cookman (S2).
The Lady Rattlers broke a program-high 14-game winning streak for SSU behind some exceptional pitching from Kenya Perieira and several costly errors from the Lady Tigers.
SSU’s last loss came against FAMU on March 28. The Lady Tigers took the MEAC series 2-1 and proceeded to seal up the program’s second MEAC Southern Division regular season title with a 13-1 conference record following the loss.
Perieria pitched a complete 7.0 innings for FAMU, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts. It was her 13th pitching win of the 2015 season.
After a scoreless first inning, FAMU plated two runs on one hit and two SSU fielding errors in the second inning. A fruitless third inning saw FAMU hold their 2-0 lead into the fourth.
A solo home run from Miesha McBride in the fourth lifted FAMU to a 3-0 lead. The Lady Rattlers stranded two runners as SSU’s defense held them to a single run. In the bottom of the frame, Amber Hallman singled up the middle, scoring Amanda Hallman to get SSU on the board.
FAMU plated another run in the fifth to hold onto a three-run advantage. SSU kept the game close in the fifth behind a solo home run from Antonette Smith in the bottom of the frame.
The Lady Rattlers broke the back-and-fourth in the sixth inning. They platted five runs on five hits for a 9-2 lead into the bottom of the inning. SSU managed a single run on a sacrifice fly from Kylie Tierce that scored pinch runner Destiny Webster; who was running from Torrian Wright.
Amber Hallman, in relief for Ashley Eichenlaub, got a strikeout and forced a fly out, stranding two FAMU runners to give the Lady Tigers one more chance at a comeback.
Perieria faced the top of SSU’s batting order in the final inning. She forced fly-outs from Alexis Singleton and Brianna Harris and earned a strikeout off Ama. Hallman to end the game.
McBride led FAMU from the plate, going 4-for-4 with three RBI. Tashay Irvis went 3-for-4 with an RBI. FAMU spread out 13 hits over seven innings. SSU’s Singleton, Harris, Wright, Amber Hallman and Bolden each had a hit in the loss.
Eichenlaub was tabbed with her ninth loss of the season after 4.1 innings of work. She allowed four runs (one earned) on seven hits with one walk. Amanda Hallman pitched 2.2 innings, allowing five earned runs on six hits with three walks and a strikeout.