DOTHAN, Ala. – Gulf Coast finished the first weekend of Panhandle Conference play at 1-3, winning its first game of the round robin event in Dothan before dropping its final three.
The Lady Commodores (15-12) opened the weekend with a 7-4 win over Tallahassee on Friday, but they lost the second game of the day 5-2 to Chipola, and then dropped both games Saturday to Pensacola State and Northwest Florida State.
In Friday’s second game, it was Leigha Kirby who went all seven innings to get the win for Chipola, allowing two earned runs on nine hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Savana Bradford went seven innings for Gulf Coast and took the loss, giving up five earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts.
Chipola jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning following an RBI double by Madisyn Riggins and an RBI sacrifice fly by Sierra Jevyak, with Jevyak later adding a two-run home run in the sixth. Emily Greek led Gulf Coast with two hits.
A pair of run-scoring doubles by Summer Johnson and Caroline Wooley got Gulf Coast in front 3-0 in the first inning of Saturday’s first game against Pensacola State, but the Pirates scored five unanswered runs from there to take the 5-3 win.
After plating single runs in the second and fourth innings on RBI hits from Maddy Childs and Mya Geros, the Pirates took the lead on a two-run triple by Monique Poitevan in the fifth.
The Lady Commodores brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the top of the seventh, but Hailey Peterson struck out swinging and Nina Oomes grounded out to shortstop to end the game.
Bradford again took the loss for Gulf Coast, giving up three earned runs on three hits and a walk with one strikeout in one inning of relief of starter Taylor Lee, who allowed two runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Jenna Trim got the win for Pensacola State, relieving starter Avery Beauchaine after just one inning and tossing six scoreless innings of relief while allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out eight.
The last loss of the weekend was the most devastating for the Lady Commodores, who blew a 13-8 lead by allowing six runs to Northwest Florida State in the top of the seventh inning.
Gulf Coast led 10-5 after putting up seven runs in a third inning that featured a pair of three-run home runs for Johnson and Taylor White, but Northwest answered with three runs in fourth thanks to a costly error by the shortstop Greek to make it 10-8.
The Lady Commodores tacked on two runs thanks to a pair of Northwest errors in the fifth and added another in the sixth on an RBI sacrifice fly by Cyrina Madrid.
In the top of the seventh, Brianna Doughty retired the first batter before allowing the next three to reach on a walk and two singles to load the bases.
Consecutive two-RBI hits by Brittni Rufus and Gabby Fischetti off of Doughty and then Taylor Lee quickly cut the margin to a single run at 13-12. After a walk to Bailey Cox, Lele Martinez followed with an RBI single to score Fischetti and tie the game.
Bradford then came on to relieve Lee and struck out Ivey Hill swinging for the second out, but she hit Abby Sulte with a pitch and then allowed Cox to score on a wild pitch to Emma Alley to give the Raiders a 14-13 lead.
Johnson led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to centerfield and moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Peterson, but Northwest pitcher Katie Walters got Wooley to ground out back to her and then induced Greek to ground out to shortstop to end the game.
Madrid finished 5 for 5 with a triple, three runs, and an RBI for Gulf Coast, with Johnson, Ellie Fried, and Wooley, and Hannah Segars all adding two hits. Mabry Briggs had a triple and two RBI.
Sckylier Baronet was 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBI for the Raiders, with Fischettie going 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBI, and Amber Divine 2 for 5 with two runs and an RBI. Suite also had two hits and Martinez was 1 for 5 with two runs and three RBI.
Gulf Coast will next host a doubleheader Tuesday against Wallace Dothan before returning to Panhandle action with a home doubleheader vs. Tallahassee.
