Box Score WINTER HAVEN — Polk State Softball didn't come away with a win on Tuesday but it did prove that it could play with the nation's best. In the second game of a doubleheader, the Eagles traded blows with No. 1 Florida SouthWestern State College before coming up short, 6-4.
The Buccaneers pushed two runs across in the first but Polk State (3-5) answered with one in the bottom half of the inning as
Kanitria Antenor came around to score after singling earlier in the inning. The Eagles drew even at 3-3 in the third on an 2-run double from
Alma Fernandez that scored
Chelsi Rae' Hebert and Antenor.
Florida SouthWestern went ahead for good with two runs in the fourth. Shenita Tucker had an RBI double for the Buccaneers before Laura Vigna drove her home with a single.
In the sixth, Florida SouthWestern pushed the lead to 6-3 with a run but the Eagles again showed their resiliency in the bottom of the frame. Antenor scored her third run of the night on a
Kailey Guethle RBI single. Polk State put the tying run on base but could get nothing else in the inning before going down in order in the seventh.
Antenor finished 4-for-4 at the plate in the loss. Sydney McCray had two hits for the Buccaneers.
The opening contest of the day was not nearly as competitive. Florida SouthWestern needed just five innings to roll to an 8-0 victory.
Caroline Figueroa finished 3-for-3 with two home runs for Florida SouthWestern State. That included a solo shot in the second inning to get the scoring started and the 3-run blast in the fifth to cap the scoring.
Tucker and Maddy Golka each had two hits for the Buccaneers.
Emma Hart and Guethle had the only two hits for Polk State.
Polk State will be back in action on Thursday as it travels to Leesburg to take on Lake-Sumter State College in a doubleheader. The Lakehawks swept the Eagles in the season-opening doubleheader on Feb. 2.
