Lady Indians use timely hitting to take down #4 Indian River, 2-1, on day one at FCSAA Softball Championships
Hits from Hannah Capps, Kayla Franklin, & Diana Arcay in the 3rd inning propel Chipola to the win.
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Chipola Lady Indians (31-18) used a pair of two out hits in the third inning to score their only runs of the game but it was enough as they took down the defending FCSAA and NJCAA Champions, 2-1, in the opening round of the FCSAA D1 Softball Championships.
Indian River got on the board in the first inning when the second batter in The River's lineup, Sarah Phipps, hit a solo home run over the left field fence.
Going into the third inning, Chipola had managed just one baserunner, a Diana Arcay single in the first, against the FCSAA's Pitcher of the Year, J'dah Girigorie. For the game, Girigorie allowed four hits but it was the three she allowed in the third inning that would give her just her third loss in 39 appearances this season.
With one out in the third, Hannah Capps singled into right center field to turn the lineup over and bring Chipola's leadoff hitter, Irene Rabasco to the plate.
After Rabasco's deep fly ball to left field was caught for the second out, it appeared Chipola would go down without a run again when Kayla Franklin's deep fly to right field hit the glove of The River's defender who was on a dead sprint to make the third out.
With the wind blowing to the right field corner, pushing the ball further from the racing outfielder, the ball hit the glove and bounced out as the right fielder crashed to the ground trying to complete the catch.
Capps came around to score the tying run and Kayla Franklin reached third on a stand-up triple. Diana Arcay then recorded her second hit of the game that was just out of the reach of the diving Indian River shortstop. Franklin's run gave Chipola a 2-1 lead that would hold up the rest of the game.
Anyela Gomez-Ruiz scattered six hits and four walks along with two hit batters to pick up the complete game win and move her record to 8-6 on the season.
Gomez-Ruiz allowed multiple baserunners in five of the seven innings but The River failed to get a hit with runners in scoring position. She finished the game with two strikeouts.
Indian River hurt themselves on two different occasions with baserunners leaving early. When The River wasn't getting themselves out, Chipola catcher, Addison Carter would take care of the rest. Carter put on a clinic at how to throw out runners in front of former Chipola catcher, Candela Figueroa, who watched the game after being honored prior to the game for her induction into the FCSAA Softball Hall of Fame.
Carter threw behind a runner at first to end the first inning and then retired a runner trying to steal second in the third inning. In the sixth inning, she completed a catcher's cycle by throwing out a runner trying to steal third.
Indian River did not go down quietly in the bottom of the 7th and was helped when Gomez-Ruiz hit the first batter of the inning on the first pitch. The Chipola defense however picked their sophomore pitcher up.
Arcay ran down a ball in the left-center gap for the first out and Olivia Spooner had to race in from her right field position to gather in the second out. Rabasco ranged to her left at third base to catch a line drive for the third out that sent Chipola into the semifinals.
Chipola will play at 3 PM CDT on Thursday against the #7 seed, Eastern Florida State College, who defeated the #2 seed, Northwest Florida, 1-0.
GAME NOTES
- Sophomore Diana Arcay collected two of the Lady Indians' four hits and knocked in the eventual game-winning run in the third inning.
- Head Coach Kelly Brookins is now 2-2 in the FCSAA D1 State Championships. Her first win was also against Indian River in 2022 when the Lady Indians won 5-4 in eight innings.
- In postseason play since 2013 (FCSAA & NJCAA Tournament records from ChipolaAthletics.com), Chipola is 14-0 against Indian River in softball, baseball, women's basketball, and men's basketball.
#ROAD2YUMA
The Lady Indians still have work to do but with the win on Wednesday, they are now one win away from playing for a chance to advance to the NJCAA Tournament in Yuma, Arizona on May 19-24, 2025. Here is the path:
- With a win on Thursday, Chipola would play for the FCSAA D1 Softball Championship on Friday at 3 PM CDT. The winner of that game would advance to the NJCAA Tournament. The loser of the FCSAA Championship game would play again on Saturday at 9 AM CDT for the FCSAA's second berth in the NJCAA Tournament. The winner of that game would advance. The loser of that game would have to receive an at-large bid to advance.
- With a loss on Thursday, Chipola would have to win two games on Friday then win on Saturday morning to advance to the NJCAA Tournament.
CANDELA FIGUEROA
Prior to Wednesday's game, Candela Figueroa was presented with a plaque in honor of her induction into the FCSAA Softball Hall of Fame. Read more about Candela and her accomplishments here.
STATE TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
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