Embry-Riddle Softball
2013 SEASON IN REVIEW
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Eagles Open Inaugural Season at Flagler
Feb. 2, 2013 was a day of firsts for the Embry-Riddle Softball program, but the Eagles fell short of the one first they wanted the most: the first win. The Blue and Gold were swept by Flagler on the road, 10-1 and 11-9. Embry-Riddle got things off to a promising start as Sarah Huey laced a double off the right-field wall in the program’s first at-bat, missing a home run by just a couple of feet. Two batters later, Dee Espinosa hit a sacrifice fly to score Huey with the first run in program history. The Saints quickly rallied with two runs in the first and led for the rest of the game, claiming a 10-1 victory. Game two saw ERAU take an early 2-0 lead only to have Flagler score twice in the first and five times in the second to take a 7-2 lead. In the third inning, Robi Zimmerman hit the first home run in program history, pulling the Eagles within three at 7-4. Espinosa stepped up in the following inning and launched the first grand slam for the Eagles, putting ERAU ahead, 9-7. The Saints came back with a four-run sixth to win the game, 11-9.
Embry-Riddle Sweeps Mariners
On Feb. 24, the ERAU softball team picked up the first two wins in program history. Embry-Riddle knocked off Coastal Georgia on the road, 3-2 and 6-3. The Eagles got off to a fast start in game one, scoring three times in the second inning thanks to RBI singles from Chanley Burge and Samantha Smith and a run via a wild pitch for a 3-0 lead. CCG got a run in the third and another in the seventh, but Zimmerman was able to secure the 3-2 win, pitching all seven innings to earn the first victory in program history. Zimmerman singled home Huey to open the scoring in game two and Huey delivered a three-run home run to extend the lead to 4-0. A two-run home run for the Mariners cut the lead to 4-3 in the third, but the Eagles answered with a pair of runs in the seventh to make it 6-3, which would prove to be the final score.
Blue and Gold Sweep Bellevue in First Regular Season Home Games
The Eagles opened up their home field in style, sweeping the visiting Bellevue Bruins with an 8-7 walk-off win in game one and a 4-2 victory in the second game on Mar. 1. After BU scored first, Embry-Riddle bounced back with a pair of runs in the second inning to take a 2-1 lead. Jessica Osteen drilled a double to right field, scoring Haleigh Lewis to tie the game. Krizzy Menez pinch ran for Osteen, promptly stole third base and then scored on a passed ball, giving the Eagles the lead, 2-1. The Bruins came back with five straight runs to move ahead, 6-2, before Espinosa launched a two-run home run over the left-field fence in the fifth, the first home run ever hit at the ERAU Softball Stadium. BU scored a run in the seventh to make it 7-4, sending the Eagles to their last at-bat down by three. Sarah Huey started the bottom of the seventh with a solid single to right, and Savannah Smith followed with her first career home run, a tworun shot that made the score 7-6. The next batter, Espinosa, singled through the left side, prompting a pitching change for Bellevue. Zimmerman welcomed the new pitcher a line drive over the head of the left fielder for a double, scoring Espinosa with the game-tying run. After Lewis bunted Zimmerman to third, Rae Heuer entered as a pinch runner for Zimmerman. The Bruins then intentionally walked Osteen and Chanley Burge to load the bases with one out. Melanie Lee came off the bench to pinch hit for Jori Walan and hit an 0-2 pitch towards the second baseman, who misplayed the ball, allowing Heuer to score the game-winning run. Embry-Riddle got on the board first in game two when Osteen hit a sacrifice fly to score Menez in the bottom of the second inning, putting ERAU ahead, 1-0. The home team added another run in the third when Heuer scored on Savannah Smith’s two-out double, increasing the lead to 2-0. The Bruins cut the lead in half (2-1) on a sac fly in the
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fourth, but Alexis Estrada set down seven of the next eight batters to keep the Eagles in front. Savannah Smith came through with a bases-loaded single in the fifth, scoring Samantha Smith and Heuer, giving the Blue and Gold a 4-1 lead. In the seventh inning, Bellevue scored a run on a fielder’s choice to cut the deficit to 4-2 and the Bruins had the potential tying run on base with just one out. Estrada showed her poise, striking out Kristin Burhenne for the second out. With a 2-2 count on Matoba, Emily Hester got caught off first base on a pickoff attempt by Espinosa. Lewis eventually applied the tag to end the game and complete the doubleheader sweep.
Eagles Finish Third at Conference Tournament
The Embry-Riddle softball team entered The Sun Conference tournament as the No. 6 seed, but the Eagles outperformed their seeding, finishing in third place, just one win away from the championship game. The Blue and Gold opened the tournament with a 7-3 loss to third-seeded Southeastern. ERAU fell behind 4-0 in the third inning and couldn’t mount a comeback against the Fire, falling to the loser’s bracket after the first day of games. Day two saw the Eagles play two-and-a-half games, including knocking two teams out of the tournament. The day started with an elimination game against defending tournament champion Webber International. Embry-Riddle jumped out to a 2-0 lead, scoring on a fielding error and a squeeze play in the first inning. The Warriors cut the lead in half in the second but Savannah Smith singled home Burge in the fourth to regain a two-run lead. WIU scored once in the fifth but the Blue and Gold held on for a 3-2 win, knocking the Warriors out of the tournament. Next up for the Eagles was another elimination game against Thomas. As they did against WIU, the Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-run home run off the bat of Zimmerman. The Blue and Gold tacked on four more in the second, scoring single runs on RBI doubles from Wood and Savannah Smith, along with an RBI single from Espinosa. After Thomas scored a pair in the third to cut the lead to 6-2, ERAU answered with four runs in the fourth keyed by a two-run double from Zimmerman that scored Savannah Smith and Huey. That double put the Eagles ahead 10-2 heading to the fifth. The Night Hawks plated a run in the top of the fifth to temporarily stave off the mercy rule, but an error in the bottom half allowed Samantha Smith to score, ending the game with the Eagles victorious 11-3 thanks to the mercy rule. The victory over TU set up a rematch against Southeastern, with the winner advancing to the loser’s bracket championship game. The Blue and Gold opened up a 3-0 lead over the Fire with a three-run third inning before rain halted the game, forcing a postponement until the following morning. SEU rallied back with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3. The score remained tied until the seventh inning, when the Eagles batted around with two outs. After the first two batters were retired, Chanley Burge launched a home run over the right-center field fence, giving ERAU a 4-3 lead. Two batters later, Espinosa doubled home Wood. Three batters later Zimmerman drew a bases-loaded walk, bringing the score to 6-3. Osteen was then hit by a pitch and Haleigh Lewis followed with a two-run double, extending the lead to 9-3. Samantha Smith drove in Osteen with the 10th run, followed by Lewis scoring on an error and Samantha Smith scoring on a wild pitch, capping the nine-run inning. The Fire could only muster one run in the bottom of the inning, giving Embry-Riddle a 12-4 win that sent the Fire home. That afternoon, Embry-Riddle faced St. Thomas, with the winner earning a spot in the championship. The magic that the Eagles found the day before ran out against the Bobcats, ending the inaugural season for ERAU. STU took a 3-0 lead in the second and built up an 8-2 lead after three innings of play. Embry-Riddle couldn’t muster enough offense to threaten a comeback, falling by a score of 10-3.
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2014
Eagles Against Ranked Teams Total Games: 9 Embry-Riddle Record: 1-8 Date March 2 March 2 March 16 March 17 March 17 March 18 March 18 April 7 April 7
Team (Rank) Indiana Wesleyan (24) Indiana Wesleyan (24) vs. Mobile (19) at William Carey (7) at William Carey (7) at Auburn Montgomery (8) at Auburn Montgomery (8) at USCB (17) at USCB (17)
Result L, 10-14 W, 10-2 L, 0-8 L, 0-9 L, 0-13 L, 8-16 L, 3-7 L, 6-7 L, 3-11
Embry-Riddle National Rankings Team Stolen Bases per Game 1.829 (17th) Steal Attempts per Game 2.268 (18th) Total Stolen Bases 75 (27th) Assists per Game 8.878 (41st) Batting Average 0.319 (42nd) Doubles per Game 1.488 (49th) Chances per Game 29.634 (50th) Individual Hits per Game Sarah Huey, 1.537 (14th) Batting Average Sarah Huey, 0.444 (26th) Doubles per Game Dee Espinosa, 0.341 (41st) At-Bats per Game Sarah Huey, 3.463 (47th)
Three Eagles Named to All-Conference Roster
In its first season of competition, the Embry-Riddle softball team placed three players on the 2013 Sun Conference All-Conference roster. A trio of freshman, including Espinosa, Huey and Savannah Smith, all received the honor on at the conference tournament banquet in Clermont, Fla. Espinosa, a freshman from Miami, Fla., was one of two catchers selected. She was second on the team with a .358 batting average and led the team with five home runs, 14 doubles and 41 RBIs. Huey, a freshman from Tomball, Texas, earned one of the six infield slots. She finished second in the conference and 14th in the country in hits/game (1.54) and third in the conference and 26th in the NAIA in batting average (.444). Huey also led the Eagles with 15 stolen bases and 38 runs scored. Smith, a freshman from Spring, Texas, was one of four atlarge selections. She was fourth on the team with a .350 batting average and second in on-base percentage (.439). Smith also tied for second among the Eagles with 10 doubles and recorded 15 walks, second-most on the team. Also honored at the banquet was Eagle pitcher Melanie Lee, who was named to the Academic All-Conference team. Lee, a sophomore from Crystal River, Fla., finished the semester with a 3.61 GPA as an Engineering major. She appeared in six games for the Blue and Gold, compiling an 0-3 record with one complete game. Lee also drew four walks and put down four sacrifice bunts in 16 plate appearances.
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