Raiders Offense Held Scoreless In Loss to Indian River

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Northwest Florida State suffered a tough loss against Indian River State, falling 5-0 on Friday after their offense struggled to gain any momentum.

The Pioneers took an early lead in the fourth inning when Gendron singled, bringing in one run. They followed this with two more runs in the fifth, and two in the sixth, taking a 5-0 lead over the Raiders.

Northwest Florida had it's opportunities to score throughout the game, getting runners in scoring position early. However, unable to capitalize, the Raiders stranded eight runners on the bases and only amassed five hits in the contest. 

Cailyn Heyl started on the mound for Northwest Florida State, allowing one run on five hits over three and one-third innings before being replaced by Breanna Barnes. Heyl also recorded three strikeouts and issued no walks. Gendron began the game for Indian River State College, conceding zero runs on two hits over one and one-third innings before being substituted for FCSAA Player of the Year J'Dah Girigorie, who pitched 5.1 innings, allowing no runs and striking out seven batters.

McKayla Ferguson, batting in the eighth position, demonstrated the depth of Northwest Florida State's lineup with two hits in three at-bats. Indian River amassed 13 hits in the game, with M. Thomas driving in two runs to lead their offense. C. Patterson, A. Portanova, Thomas, and J. Girigorie each contributed two hits for Indian River State College. Girigorie also stole two bases, with the team totaling four stolen bases in the game.

Northwest Florida has an opportunity to bounce back tomorrow with a game against Eastern Florida at 9:00 a.m. (CST) for the District B Bracket Championship and an automatic bid to the NJCAA Softball Championship Tournament at the end of the month.