VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Saint Leo University softball team split its final non-conference doubleheader of the 2024 regular season winning the second game at Valdosta State on Wednesday night. The Lions used a six-run seventh inning to turn a 10-6 deficit into a 12-11 victory to close out the night. With the split, the Lions ended a four-game losing streak and are now 31-14 overall.

Hailey Beuerlein and Jayla Brooks highlighted the Lions' offense combining for eight of Saint Leo's 18 RBI on the night. Brooks, Hope Epps, Alexis Barber, and Alyssa Perez all recorded four hits across the two games. Beuerlein added a pair of home runs to extend her team lead to five home runs in 2024.

Tierney Hocquard picked up the win in game two as she pitched 5.2 innings in relief while matching a career-high with nine strikeouts.

GAME 1: VALDOSTA STATE 9, SAINT LEO 7 (8 inns.)

• The Blazers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning scoring on an RBI sacrifice fly and a wild pitch.
• Saint Leo went to work immediately in the second inning plating three runs to take a 3-2 lead. Hailey Beuerlein and Briana Neal drew back-to-back walks to put the Lions on first and second to open the second inning. Shyanne Waller loaded the bases as she sent a one-out base hit up the middle.
• With one swing of the bat, Brooks tied the game at 2-2 as she singled to score pinch runner Nia DeBenedittis and Neal. With two outs, Alexis Barber gave the visitors a 3-2 lead with an RBI base hit up the middle to score Waller.
• After Valdosta State tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the second inning, Saint Leo put together another three-run inning to take a 6-3 lead on three straight batters. Epps scored Madyson Coe on a one-out base hit to left. As the lead returned the visitors, the home team made a pitching change and Waller greeted the new pitcher with a sacrifice fly to left that scored Beuerlein for a 5-3 Saint Leo advantage. Brooks dropped a double to right field for her second hit in as many at-bats to plate Epps from first base.
• A lead-off homer in the bottom of the fourth pulled the home team within two. Valdosta State tied the game at 6-6 with a two-run shot an inning later and took a 7-6 lead as a fielder's choice allowed the run to come home.
• Barber gave the Lions some life in the top of the sixth inning with a two-out triple to right field and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 7-7.
• Both teams put together a threat in the seventh inning as Waller and Brooks hit back-to-back two-out singles, however, the Blazers got a strikeout to end the inning. A one-out walk followed by a double to left put two runners in scoring position for the home team but the Lions got a foul out to third and a fly out to center to send the game to extra innings.
• After a 1-2-3 top of the eighth, Valdosta State sent a one-out two-run shot over the left field wall to end the game 9-7 in favor of the home team.

SAINT LEO 12, VALDOSTA STATE 11

• Just as it did in the first game, Valdosta State jumped out to a 2-0 lead but this time in the second inning. VSU's first baseman sent a two-run shot over the left-field wall to put the home team up early. After a strikeout for the first out of the inning, the Blazers strung together back-to-back hits to put runners on first and second. The sixth batter of the inning for the home team launched Valdosta State's second homer of the inning to put her team up 5-0.
• Neal led off the top of the third with a base hit to right and came around to score on a one-out sacrifice fly off the bat of Barber to put the Lions on the board.
• VSU got that run back in the bottom of the third inning on a two-out RBI flyout. Hailey Beuerlein launched her fourth homer of the season in the fourth inning cutting the deficit to four runs. With two outs, Caroline Barwick sent a two-RBI base hit up the middle scoring Waller and Neal to pull Saint Leo within two runs.
• Once again the Blazers responded with a run in the bottom of the inning on a two-out RBI base hit to right to make it a 7-4 game.
• Beuerlein smashed her fifth homer of the season and second of the game with a one-out two-run shot to right to cut the deficit to one run.
• Just as they did the inning before, the Blazers responded with a two-run shot to put the home team up by three in the bottom of the fifth inning. An inning later, a two-out RBI bases loaded base hit up the middle to put Valdosta State up by four.
•  The Lions quickly turned the game around in the top of the seventh as the first four batters reached before an out was made allowing the Lions to cut the deficit to three. Shyanne Waller reached on a fielder's choice that allowed pinch runner Morgan Shannon to score the ninth run for the Lions. Hope Epps sent a base hit up the middle to tie the game at 10-10 with one out. After Barwick hit an infield hit to the pitcher to load the bases, Saint Leo's ninth batter came to the plate and Barber's RBI base hit gave the Lions their first lead of the game. After getting things started with a base hit to open the seventh, Alyssa Perez collected her second hit of the inning as she drove in the eventual game-winning run on an RBI base hit up the middle to score Hope Epps for the 12-10 lead.
• Keeping with the theme of the game, the Blazers responded with a run as a solo shot to right field making it a one-run game. Saint Leo got out of the inning and ended the game with a ground out to third to seal up the victory.

UP NEXT
Saint Leo is entering the final stretch of the regular season with three SSC series remaining. The Lions are off this weekend and return to the diamond next weekend to host the Lynn Fighting Knights (April 19-20) for a three-game SSC series at University Softball Stadium. They close out April at Eckerd (April 26-27) with three games in St. Petersburg before opening May hosting Tampa (May 3-4) for the final three games of the regular season and Senior Day following the final game of the doubleheader on Saturday, May 4.