Softball Season Ends With 3-1 Defeat

Eastern Florida bowed out of the NJCAA District/FCSAA Tournament on Friday with a 3-1 loss to Florida State College Jacksonville on Friday afternoon at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach.

Earlier in the day the Titans lost 5-4 to Gulf Coast State. They finished the season 24-30 overall but earned their 12^th straight postseason appearance with a second-place finish in the FCSAA Southern Conference. They last won a game in the state tournament in 2011 when they went 2-2.

Titan pitchers sophomore Alexa Snyder, who took the loss, and freshman Karli Smith, held FSCJ to four hits and while the Titans managed five they couldn't completely solve opposing pitcher freshman Shaina Reed.

Smith had the lone run batted in for the Titans, a double in the fourth inning that scored sophomore Natasha Kistler to make it 3-1. Smith finished the day with four RBIS, three coming on a three-run home run in the first game.

Sophomore Carly Nicholas had two hits for the Titans against FSCJ.

"It was a good game, they played hard, they did everything we asked from them," said Eastern Florida assistant coach Bob Yanczewski. 

"I'd say 'wait until next year.'" 

Head coach Ed Yanes also complimented his team. 

"We pitched hard," Yanes said. "We had a meeting first day of March going into conference. We asked the team who gives us the best shot to go out there. They picked Alexa to go out there. 

"She battled for us. She was a little bit sore and beaten down a little bit down the stretch but she went out there and gave us everything she had every time we asked."

Snyder finished with a 17-17 record in the pitching circle.

"The team's a little banged up but that's no excuse," Yanes added. "They came to battle every night and every day we asked them to. We are going to miss a lot of these kids.

"I want to say thank you to them and to the families that supported us every single game around the state. The kids did a heck of a job."

Jacksonville improved to 34-17.