GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Colgate softball fell to the University of Illinois Chicago, 5-3, and Florida, 13-1, on the opening day of the T-Mobile Tournament. First-year outfielder
Kiley Shelton continued to swing the bat well for the Raiders, hitting a combined four-for-six across both losses with a run and an RBI.
Game 1 - Colgate 3, UIC 5
To open the day in Gainesville, senior pitcher Bailey Misken retired the first five UIC batters before a walk and an error put runners on first and third with two outs in the second inning.
The Flames were then able to manufacture the first score of the game when Quinn Livesay attempted to throw out the runner stealing second. She stalled for long enough on the basepaths to allow the runner from third to cross the plate before the final out of the inning was recorded, putting the Raiders down one after two innings of play.
Colgate would respond in the bottom of the third with RBI singles from Shelton and Adrienne Nardone to build a one-run lead.
Quinn Livesay continued the rally with a base-hit of her own, and Niamh Dougherty was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. But that was as much pressure as the Raiders applied in the third, as Elizabeth Nitka could not add to the lead and grounded out to second to end the inning.
In the next stanza, Shelton tacked on her second hit of the game that scored Nora Megenity from first after a throwing error from the Flames.
Operating with a 3-1 lead, Misken conceded a single to open the fifth frame which was followed by three straight bunts, the last one cutting the Raider lead to one. Misken forced a ground-out in the next at-bat, but the runner from third still scored to even the contest midway through the fifth.
Maya Servedio took the reins in the circle with two runners in scoring position and one out, and she was immediately welcomed to the game with an RBI sacrifice fly that put the Flames back on top.
UIC added an insurance run in the top of the seventh before retiring the Raiders in order to close out a 5-3 loss on Friday morning.
Game 2 - Colgate 1, Florida 13
The Gators gained momentum early in the Raiders' second game of the day, scoring 11 first-inning runs to jump out to an assertive lead.
Colgate fought back with consecutive doubles from Dougherty and Nitka in the top of the second to avoid the shutout, but Florida responded immediately with two more tallies in the bottom of the inning.
After a tough start to the game for Alexa Acker and Mia Edwards in the circle, Misken was called on to stop the bleeding for the Raiders. The fifth-year pitched well, going 2.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no walks.
At the plate, the Raiders struggled to string together hits, and despite Shelton adding her fifth multi-hit game of the season, Colgate suffered its third-straight setback.
UP NEXT
The Raiders are right back in action at 3 p.m. on Saturday for a double-header against Florida and UIC.
