Babson Park, FL – The Webber International Softball team battled through two games against Southeastern on Saturday afternoon, but the Warriors came up short in both ends of the doubleheader, falling 11-3 in game one before dropping a tighter 5-3 contest in game two. Webber honored Chloe Rayner, Taylor Thomas, and Sommer Zier-Norris during pre-game Senior Day festivities.
Southeastern used one big inning to take control of the opener, scoring six runs in the top of the second to build an early advantage. Webber answered in the bottom half after Dominica Kohout singled to right field and Abigayle Ellison followed with a double down the left-field line. Kaylee McKinney brought Kohout home on an RBI groundout to third, cutting into the deficit.
The Warriors added another run in the fifth after McKinney drew a walk and moved into scoring position. Kaylee Phillips followed with a walk, and Sommer Zier-Norris laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners up. Thalia Romero then delivered an RBI single through the right side, scoring McKinney to make it 7-2.
Webber pushed across its final run in the sixth. Sami Franz worked a walk and later moved into scoring position before Kohout reached on a fielder's choice. Ellison moved Kohout to third on a groundout, and McKinney reached on an error that allowed Kohout to score. Romero led the Warriors at the plate in game one, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Kohout scored twice and Ellison added a double. McKinney drove in two of Webber's three runs.
In the circle, Chloe Rayner started game one and Kaylee McKinney worked 5.1 innings in relief. McKinney struck out six while allowing five runs, and the Warriors finished the opener with six hits.
Game two saw Southeastern jump ahead again, scoring once in the second, twice in the third and twice more in the fourth to build a 5-0 lead. Webber continued to fight back, breaking through in the bottom of the fifth. Ellison singled up the middle, and Franz followed with a double to left field to put two runners in scoring position. Aliyah Bentley brought Ellison home on an RBI groundout, and Chloe Rayner followed with a pinch-hit RBI single to second base to score Franz and cut the deficit to 5-2.
The Warriors added another run in the sixth and brought the tying run to the plate. Romero opened the inning with a double to left center, and Samantha Hudson followed with an infield single. After Romero moved to third, Ellison reached on an error that allowed Romero to score, making it 5-3. Webber could not complete the comeback in the seventh, as Southeastern held on to finish the sweep.
Romero, Hudson, Ellison, Franz and Rayner each recorded hits in game two, with Romero and Franz both collecting doubles. Bentley, Rayner and Ellison each drove in a run for the Warriors. Taylor Thomas went the distance in the circle, throwing all seven innings while striking out 10. With Thomas' 10 strikeouts, she eclipsed the 500 career strikeout mark, doing so in her final game as a Warrior.
For the latest and most up-to-date information on Warrior Athletics. Please visit www.webberathletics.com. Follow us on Twitter- @WebberAthletics, Instagram- @Webber_Athletics, and Facebook by searching Webber International University Athletics.
