WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic softball team played Colorado School of Mines for the first time in the program's history on Friday night.
The Sailfish pitching staff showed out in both games of tonight's doubleheader. Cambria Arturo and Lacy Marty each tossed a complete-game shutout against Mines (0-2), earning a sweep for the Sailfish. PBA (3-2) took the first game, 3-0, followed by a 7-0 win in game two.
PBA plays another doubleheader on Saturday against East Stroudsburg. The first pitch at Simpson Field is set for 12:00 p.m.
Game One – PBA: 3, Mines: 0
The first game of the evening was a pitcher's duel for most of the contest. PBA had opportunities to score in the first, second, and fourth innings, but left runners stranded in both frames.
PBA broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Kendall Baer led off the inning with a single and a stolen base. She came around to score after a pair of groundouts with the RBI going to Daylin Hejtmanek.
The Orediggers were threatening in the top of the six after a base hit and an error with two outs. The miscue in the field didn't cost the Sailfish, as Arturo forced another groundball to get out of the inning.
Evoni Rodriguez led off the PBA half of the sixth with a double to center field. A pair of errors on a groundball to the shortstop, allowed E. Rodriguez to score from second. Another error by Mines and a single by Gracie Mullett put two runners on base. Dallas Watterson scored after back-to-back hit-by-pitches to give PBA a 3-0 lead.
Arturo closed out the shutout with ease. In seven innings pitched, she surrendered five hits, with three strikeouts and no walks. The Sailfish totaled four hits in the game.
Game Two – PBA: 7, Mines: 0
The Sailfish bats got going early in game two. Briana Rodriguez singled down the leftfield line with one out, and she was driven in by a double by E. Rodriguez. E. Rodriguez stole third and scored on a sac fly by Larken Maseda to give PBA an early 2-0 lead.
Watterson started the fourth inning with a bang, sending a solo home run over the centerfield fence to make it 3-0 Sailfish. Later in the game, Elisa Grande led off the fifth with a walk. She later advanced to second on a single by B. Rodriguez. E. Rodriguez came through again with a single through the left side to score Grande.
PBA added to its lead in the sixth inning without having to swing the bat. Six straight walks to start the inning, plated three runs to make it 7-0.
Marty pitched a gem in the circle, holding the Orediggers offense to four hits without a walk and adding three strikeouts. She closed out the shutout in the seventh thanks to a 6-3 double play by E. Rodriguez.
B. Rodriguez finished with three hits, one run scored, and one stolen base. E. Rodriguez totaled two hits, two RBIs, one run, and one stolen base. The sisters accounted for five of PBA's seven hits in the game.
