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ORLANDO, Fla. – The Columbus State University softball team picked up a pair of wins on Friday at the Citrus Classic. The tournament is being played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
 
Columbus State (7-5) picked up a 1-0 victory over Wheeling Jesuit before capping the day with a 10-2 win over Dominican.
 
The Lady Cougars will play the same two teams on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
 
Game One
 
Friday's first game belonged to Darby Demarest in the circle, as the junior was dominant. Demarest allowed a two-out single in the first inning, but would not allow another hit the rest of the day.
 
The right-hander struck out seven of the 10 batters she faced from the second to fourth innings, as the game remained scoreless.
 
Still scoreless heading to the sixth, the Lady Cougars finally broke through. McKenzie Fagioli doubled and a WJU error allowed the senior to scoot on over to third. Kirstin Reynolds then stepped to the plate and delivered with a pinch-hit single to bring home what would be the only run of the game.
 
Demarest (3-2) took care of the rest, retiring the final 13 batters she faced on the day for the complete-game victory. The junior allowed just the one hit, while striking out 12 for her third win of the season.
 
Game Two
 
The Lady Cougar offense was slow out of the gates in the second game as well, going scoreless through the first three innings.
 
CSU finally woke up in a big way in the fourth. Kia Smith, Fagioli and Elizabeth Perdue all singled to start the frame. JoJo Beyer then doubled in a pair to start the scoring.
 
Two more runs would come across and Smith then delivered the biggest blow of the game with a three-run triple to stretch the Columbus State lead out to 7-0.
 
Dominican got on the board with two runs in the top of the fifth, but CSU ended things with one swing of the bat in the bottom half. With runners on first and second, Reynolds blasted a three-run homer to give the Lady Cougars the eight-run lead needed for the mercy rule.
 
Peyton Sorrells (3-1) got the victory in the circle, allowing just two runs in five innings of work.
 
Smith, Fagioli and Perdue all had 2-for-3 showings as part of CSU's 10-hit attack.