The no. 15 ranked Pensacola State softball team traveled to Longwood, FL for the FCSAA State Tournament this past week. 

They opened the tournament on Friday with Santa Fe College and lost in extra innings, before bouncing back on Saturday with a win over St. Peterburg College. On Sunday, the Pirates came up short against nationally no. 1 ranked Florida Southwestern. Continue reading below for individual game recaps.

Santa Fe 11 PSC 10 (9 innings)

The Pirate's effort to comeback from down four runs in the third inning came up just short as they fell to Santa Fe in nine innings. 

The Saints got on the board in the top of the first when a double drove in two runs. An error in the top of the third allowed them to add two more runs before Avery Beauchaine entered the pitching circle and promptly struck out the batter to end the threat.

Pensacola's bats started to come around in the bottom of the third when Sajarie Jones bunted her way on with one out and Susanna Soldi drew a walk to set the table for Maddy Childs to smoke a ball over the center field fence to pull the Pirates within one run.

The score remained 4-3 until the bottom of the fifth when two walks and an error loaded the bases for PSC. Maddy Childs struck again and drove a double to left field to give the Pirates their first lead of the game. With a 5-4 lead Monique Poitevin singled up the middle to drive in the sixth run. Jessica Ford followed with an RBI single of her own before pinch hitter Jaycie Brookshire stepped to the plate and drove an RBI sacrifice fly to center to give Pensacola an 8-4 lead.

In the top of the sixth, Santa Fe capitalized on a walk and hit by pitch to eventually score two runs and make it an 8-6 game.

The score remained until the top of the seventh when the Saints led off the inning with a double. Jorja Barrett then entered the game to pitch for the Pirates for the first time since March 31st. After a walk, error and single the game was tied at eight and Santa Fe had the bases loaded with no outs. Barrett fielded a ground ball and got the first out at home before inducing another ground ball to Ellie Hansen who cut down another runner at the plate for the second out. With the bases still loaded Barrett bared down and struck out the next batter to end the threat.

The Pirates could not push a run in the bottom of the seventh and the teams headed to extra innings.

In the top of the ninth, Santa Fe loaded the bases and with two outs they drove a ball to the fence that cleared the bases and gave them an 11-8 lead.

Pensacola fought back in the bottom of the inning when with one out Jessica Ford smacked a home run over the right field fence and Shaylan Whatman immediately followed with a jack of her own into the trees in left field to pull the Pirates within one. Kelsi Bargman singled and advanced to second on a passed ball before Mya Geros drove a ball to center that the field snagged and caught Bargman too far off of second and ended the game. 

PSC 2 St. Pete 1

Both teams were strong in the pitching circle in the Saturday game, but the Pirates were able to prevail.

Donuts remained on the scoreboard until the fifth inning when Mya Geros led off with a bunt single and Sajarie Jones immediately followed suit with a bunt of her own to setup runners on first and second. Susanna Soldi then drove a ball to deep left field that the fielder could not pull down.

Geros had held at second to tag in case the catch was made, but as soon it dropped she had Jones on her heels. Both runners headed home and Geros got in safely before Jones was called out on the catcher's tag. With two out and Soldi at second, Maddy Childs drove a ball through the middle to plate PSC's second run.

St. Pete used a couple of singles to score one run in the bottom of the inning before Mya Geros made a diving catch in left to end the inning and preserve the one run lead.

Avery Beauchaine controlled the rest of the game in the circle and Pensacola held on for the win. Beauchaine pitched a complete game and only gave up only three hits with two strikeouts and one walk.

Mya Geros was the only Pirate to record two hits in the game.

FSW 7 PSC 3

The Pirates faced the no. 1 team in the nation on Sunday when they squared off against Florida Southwestern. 

The Bucs struck in the top of the first when they took advantage of an error to take a 2-0 lead that they extended to 4-0 in the top of the second.

Pensacola got on the board in the bottom of the second inning when with one out Monique Poitevin drove a ball over the left field fence for PSC's first run. Two batters later, Shaylan Whatman hit her second homerun of the tournament to pull the Pirates within two.

The scored remained 4-2 until the fourth when FSW added two more runs to extend their lead to four. 

In the bottom of the fifth, Kelsi Bargman tripled down the right field line and proceeded to score on a ground ball from Sajarie Jones.

Unfortunately that was the last run the Pirates were able to push across and they fell 7-3. 

Monique Poitevin was 2-for-3 in the game with a home run and double. 

The Pirates ended their season with a 30-9 overall record.