Florida Trip Starts With Two Shutout Wins for Emporia State Softball

March 14, 2025-Emporia State started their trip to Florida with a pair of shutout wins in The Spring Games. Emporia State opened the day with a 2-0 win over Bemidji State before taking an 8-0 run rule win over Lake Erie College in five innings.
 
Emporia State 2, Bemidji State 0
Gracie Rabe tossed a complete game three hitter as the Hornets opened the day with a 2-0 win over Bemidji State.
Both teams were scoreless through the first two innings before Emporia State broke through in the top of the third.  Mallory Moore led off with a single to right center and went to second on a sac bunt by Ally Miller.  Julianna De Luna followed with a single up the middle. With two outs Kennedy Topping reached on catcher's interference to load the bases.  Haley Garnett worked a four pitch walk to drive in Moore and give the Hornets a 1-0 lead.
Emporia State took advantage of three misplays in the field in the top of the sixth to add an insurance run.  De Luna led off with a ground ball and made it all the way to second when the shortstop could not field it cleanly.  After a nine pitch at bat Brooke Flewelling reached when the BSU third baseman could not come up with her ground ball.  After a pop up Garnett lofted a ball to short left field that the left fielder dropped allowing De Luna to score to give ESU a 2-0 lead.
After allowing a hit and an error to start the sixth Rabe retired the final six batters to preserve the win.
Julianna De Luna was two for four with a run scored while Haley Garnett was one for three with an RBI.  Gracie Rabe allowed just three hits with one walk in 7.0 innings in the circle.
 
Emporia State 8, Lake Erie 0 (5 innings)
The Hornets scored seven runs in the first two innings and then ended it with a run in the bottom of the fifth in an 8-0 win over Lake Erie.
Taryn Burkhardt reached on an error to start Emporia State's half of the first inning. She stole second and went to third on double to left field by Sydney Wagner. A Mallory Moore sac fly gave the Hornets a 1-0 lead.  With two outs Wagner would come home on a Juliana De Luna single to put the Hornets up 2-0.
Emporia State would score five runs in the bottom of the second to go up 7-0. Haley Garnett doubled and scored on a triple from Kinsey Perine to start the scoring.  Burkhardt singled in Perine and forced a pitching change by the Storm. Moore had her second sac fly of the game to make it 5-0.  De Luna made it 7-0 with a two run single through the right side.
Lake Erie connected on their only two hits off of starter Jayda Van Ackeren in the third inning. They had runners on first and third but Van Ackeren was able to get a ground out and line out to third to end the threat.
Avery Brewer led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and Kylie Chester pinch ran for her.  A Garnett walk followed by a bunt single from Perine loaded the bases with one out.  Brynley Smith got the walk off sac fly to end the game.
Julianna De Luna was two for three with three RBI while Taryn Burkhardt was one for three with two runs and an RBI Kinsey Perine went three for three with a run scored and an RBI.  Van Ackeren went the distance in the circle allowing no runs on two hits in 5.0 innings.
 
The Hornets are back in action on Saturday when they take on Shepherd at 9:00 a.m. (ET) followed by Wayne State (Mich.) at 11:30 a.m. (ET) at the Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont, Fla.