Army Softball Splits on Final Day in Florida

CLEARWATER, FLA. – The Army West Point softball team split a pair of games with Buffalo and Chattanooga on Saturday afternoon at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex.

Lacey Swafford led the Black Knights (7-14) at the plate, batting 4-for-6 with three runs scored and an RBI in the two games combined. Taylor Drayton and Amelia Trotter both picked up three hits on the afternoon, with a pair of runs scored and three RBIs.

In the circle, Courtney Springman posted another solid outing, going the distance against the Bulls (7-11), while allowing just one earned run on four hits. Macey Newbary started the game against the Mocs (14-15) and went five scoreless frames before giving up four runs in the sixth.

GAME 1: ARMY 3, BUFFALO 1
Springman pitched her third straight complete game and picked up her third win of the season. It was the seventh consecutive start that she allowed two or fewer earned runs. She recorded eight strikeouts for the second straight game, tying her career best.Swafford and Trotter both tallied a multi-hit game. Swafford extended her hitting streak to six games, recording multi-hit games in each of her last four outings. Taylor Drayton recorded her first collegiate double.

Springman made quick work of the Bulls in the first frame, fanning a pair of batters. The Black Knights came up to bat in the bottom half of the inning and Swafford shot a ball to left center for a leadoff double. After being moved over on a sacrifice bunt by Taylor Livingston, Swafford scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Emily Ballesteros.

Army maintained its one-run lead until the third. The Bulls got their leadoff hitter in scoring position and with one out, the baserunner came around to score on a single up the middle to even the score at 1-1.

In the bottom half of the frame, Trotter singled to left center to lead off the inning and was moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt. Swafford then dug into the box and brought the run in on an RBI single up the middle.

With a 2-1 lead, the Black Knights tacked on an insurance run in the fourth. Drayton doubled to left center and scored two batters later once Ally Snelling singled to center and the fielder bobbled the ball.

Springman closed out the game strong, striking out four batters in the final three innings en route to win.

Game 2: Chattanooga 6, Army 5
Swafford extended her hitting streak to seven games. She has recorded five consecutive multi-hit outings. Reilly, Swafford and Drayton all recorded multiple hits in the game. Trotter tallied her third two-bagger of the season. Drayton drove in a career-best three RBIs.

Army jumped on the board first and it started with a Swafford single up the middle. After the first out of the opening inning was recorded, the Black Knights notched back-to-back base hits to drive in a run. With runners on the corners and two outs, Reilly drove in a run on a single to right before Trotter made it a three-run game with an RBI double to left.

Newbary settled in on the mound and turned in four scoreless innings, limiting the Mocs to three hits.

In the fifth, Army took advantage of a bases-loaded situation once Drayton sliced a pitch into the gap in right center and a pair of runs scored. The bases were loaded once again in the inning, but all three runners were left stranded.

After being held scoreless for the opening five frames, Chattanooga staged a comeback effort and plated five runs to even the score up in the sixth. With a runner on third and one out in the inning, the runner got caught in a rundown. The baserunner slid into home and was tagged out, but obstruction was called on Army for blocking her path to the plate and the run was counted.

In the seventh, the Black Knights could not manufacture anything and Chattanooga claimed the win.

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