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MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Columbus State University softball team split a pair of games on the opening day of the Florida Tech Tournament. The tournament is being played at the USSSA Space Coast Complex.
Columbus State picked up a 5-2 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic before falling in the second game 2-1 to Florida Tech.
The Lady Cougars will play Converse College at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday following it up with a game against Lynn University at 5:00 p.m.
Game One
The Lady Cougars jumped out to the early 5-0 lead after two innings before holding on to open up the tournament with a win. Elyse Ambrose had a huge performance for CSU driving home two runs in both the first and second innings with singles. The four RBI's were a season high for the outfielder giving her a total of six on the season.
The five early runs were more than enough for starting pitcher Darby Demarest. The senior threw another gem going the distance inside the circle to notch a complete game. Demarest (3-2) gave up just three hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out nine batters. The nine strikeouts now gives her a season total of 54 strikeouts in just 36.1 innings of action.
Ambrose finished 2-for-3 with four RBI's while Morgan Elston went 1-for-1, drawing three walks and scoring two runs.
Game Two
Hits were at a premium in the second game of the night as Columbus State could only muster a total of three against Florida Tech. After grabbing just one hit through the first five innings, the Lady Cougars started a rally in the sixth.
Kirstin Reynolds tripled into right field for CSU bringing home one run with only one out. But Ambrose would fly into a double play as Reynolds wasn't able to tie the game for the Lady Cougars.
In the seventh, Columbus State knocked on the door once again. Perdue led the inning off with a single and moved over to second on a sac bunt. Brittany Crawford struck out to record the second out, leaving it up to Maddie Dodson. The sophomore appeared to have reached first base on an error from Florida Tech, which then saw Perdue racing home to tie the game. But after a lengthy delay, the umpires changed the call saying Dodson was out on the tag at first, thus ending the game as the third and final out.
Peyton Sorrells threw a complete game, going six innings giving up just four hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out three.
