Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LEESBURG – For Polk State Softball, Thursday was a day that featured both thrilling victory and devastating defeat. In the end, the Eagles settled for a doubleheader split at Lake-Sumer State College.
 
Polk State started the day with an improbable 6-5 victory. After letting a two-run lead slip away in the sixth, the Eagles scored two in the seventh with a two-out rally.
 
With two outs and nobody on, the contest appeared over when Jillian Hudson popped one up toward second. Somehow, the ball dropped, and the Eagles had life. After Alexis Thomas walked, pinch hitter Baileigh Herrera clobbered a two-run double into the right-centerfield gap to put Polk State ahead for good.
 
The Lakehawks trailed 4-2 entering the bottom of the sixth but used some sloppy Polk State defense to take the lead. After a throwing error allowed the first run of the inning to score, Tatum McGrath reached on a squeeze bunt to tie the contest. McGrath stole two bases before scoring the go-ahead run on Desiree Romeo's RBI groundout to short.
 
It was the Eagles who drew first blood with a run in the first. After doubling to open the game, Chelsi Rae' Hebert scored on an RBI groundout from Alma Fernandez.
 
Lake-Sumter took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the inning, courtesy of a Reese Snipes RBI single and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kreighton Steinke. Polk State's Kailey Guethle, who threw the final two innings in the circle to pick up the win, tied the game with an RBI single in the third to score Hebert.
 
After scoring the first two runs for the Eagles, Hebert ripped a two-run double past the shortstop in the fourth that plated Suheily Mercado and Emma Hart as the Eagles took a 4-2 lead. Kyra Ward threw five solid innings in the circle, allowing just two runs, but did not factor in the decision.
 
In the second game of a doubleheader, Polk State seemed well on its way toward a sweep. The Eagles (4-6) took a 6-0 lead into the sixth inning before falling in eight, 7-6.
 
For Lake-Sumter, the bottom of the sixth was again the money inning Molly Bender, Snipes, and Raquel Camuglia came up with three consecutive doubles for the Lakehawks during a five-run frame. In the seventh, an error in centerfield allowed the tying run to score. Alexis Adams ultimately plated the winning run in the eighth with a walk-off single to score Steinke.
 
Polk State committed three errors over the final three innings. In the second game, all the Polk State offense came over the first three innings.
 
Hebert scored on a wild pitch to get the scoring started before Guethle singled home Kanitria Antenor. An RBI double from Thomas pushed Guethle home for the third run of the first inning.
 
In the second inning, Hebert and Antenor again touched home – this time on a two-run single from Guethle. Hart extended the lead to 6-0 with an RBI double to score Thomas in the third. Thomas' second double of the game served as the lone Polk State hit over the final five innings.
 
"The hitters did just enough to win both games but the defense needs to make routine plays for our team to really turn a corner," Head Coach Mark Skapin said. "They have improved so much from the beginning of the season but are struggling to put it all together in every phase in any single game."
 
With the split, Lake-Sumter takes the season series from Polk State. The Lakehawks swept the Eagles in Polk State's season opener in Winter Haven back on Feb. 2. Two of the Eagles' six losses have come in extra innings.
Polk State will go for the season sweep of St. Thomas University JV and look for its first home win when the teams meet at the Diamond Plex on Saturday. Start times are set for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.