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By: Stephen Williams

SAINT AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Playing in its final conference weekend of the season, the Columbus State University softball team dropped a pair of games 7-2 and 7-5 at Flagler on Saturday. The games were played at Flagler Field in Saint Augustine, Fla.
 
Columbus State moves to 24-25 on the season and 8-14 in Peach Belt Conference play.
 
The Lady Cougars will travel to Savannah, Ga. to wrap up the conference season with a pair of games at Armstrong State on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
Game One
 
Saturday's opener was all about pitching as neither team got on the scoreboard until the fifth inning.
 
Each team had just one perfect inning over the first five frames, as the two sides combined to leave eight runners on base.
 
Flagler (22-15, 7-15) finally broke through in the fifth in a big way. A solo home run started the frame for the Saints, who then loaded the bases with nobody out. It appeared that the Lady Cougars would get out of the inning down just one, however the Saints recorded three straight two-out hits to bring six more runs across the plate and make it a 7-0 game.
 
CSU got its only two runs of the game in the top of the sixth, started by a leadoff single from Calli Star. After a walk to McKenzie Fagioli, the Lady Cougars drew back-to-back outs. With two down, FC committed an error that allowed the first CSU run to score and Keeli Waugh made it 7-2 with a RBI single.
 
Columbus State loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning, but a pop up ended the game.
 
Five different Lady Cougars had a hit in the opening game, with Fagioli going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks.
 
Peyton Sorrells (11-7) took the loss after giving up three runs on four hits in four innings of work.
 
Game Two
 
The second game of the day started with a bang for the Lady Cougars, as Katie White slammed her third home run of the season to lead it off.
 
Flagler matched the homer with a leadoff one of its own in the bottom of the first and then added two more on a one-out double.
 
Columbus State seesawed back in front in the fourth with Waugh homering to open up the inning and cut the deficit in half. Later in the inning, the Lady Cougars got a run off an error and White gave CSU the lead with a triple to the left-centerfield gap.
 
The lead would once again be short-lived though, as the Saints tied the game on a double in the bottom of the inning.
 
With the game tied at four, Elizabeth Perdue launched her fifth home run of the season to start the sixth and put CSU back on top.
 
As it did all game long, Flagler answered right back. The Saints found what would prove to be the game-winning hit, getting a three-run home run with two outs in the sixth.
 
White and Waugh each had 2-for-3 showings in the second game to lead the Lady Cougars.
 
Hanna Manley started the game for CSU, but only lasted one inning after allowing three runs on four hits. Darby Demarest (2-4) gave up four runs in 4.2 innings and was hit with the loss.