NICEVILLE – Polk State Softball played two competitive games on the final day of the NWF Round Robin on Saturday but was unable to come up with a win.
The Eagles opened the day with a 4-0 loss to No. 1 Northwest Florida State College.
Hayle Peterson,
Kaylyn Mitchum and
Layla Hinojosa combined to allow just seven hits to a potent Raiders offense. Three of Northwest Florida State's four runs came in the third with two coming courtesy of a two-run single from Falyn Beebe.
Rylee Hartnell, Shya de Latour,
Ciana Vargas,
Savanah Ford and
Lacey Osborne each had hits for Polk State. Haley Hughes went 3-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI and two stolen bases for the Raiders. Mallory Baker and Savannah Carter combined to shut out the Eagles.
The Eagles dropped the second game in walk-off fashion as Lucy Fearday came through with the winning single in the seventh to give Parkland College a 4-3 win over Polk State.
Polk State trailed 2-0 and was no-hit for four innings before
Kirsten Aldridge's lead-off double jumpstarted the offense. She would come around to score on a wild pitch. After the Cobras answered with a run in the bottom of the inning,
Makenzie Foster's two-run single in the sixth tied the game at 3-3.
Hinojosa was able to get out of a bases-loaded nobody out situation for Polk State in the bottom of the sixth to keep it tied, but an unearned run ultimately decided the game. Hinojosa took the loss despite not allowing an earned run in 2.1 innings of relief.
Calonnie Holmes, Osborne, Vargas and
Leia Hurst also had hits for the Eagles. For the second straight game against Polk State, Parkland's Lainey Klokkenga homered, finishing 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.
Polk State will finish just 1-3 in its trip to Niceville but will get an extended rest. The Eagles' next contests will come on Feb. 5 when they play a doubleheader at Lake-Sumter State College.