Clermont, Fla.- The Georgian Court University softball team concluded its perennial trek to the Sunshine State Saturday with a split as the Lions suffered a 3-2, walk-off loss to #15 West Virginia Wesleyan University before ending the day with a 5-0 blanking of East Region opponent St. Thomas Aquinas College (0-1).

After losing its first five games of the trip, GCU (5-6) wrapped up the week earning victories in five of its last six outings.

GAME ONE

Playing WVWU for the third straight year in Florida, the Bobcats (5-2) opened the scoring with a run in the first inning, courtesy of a double by DP Jessica Griffin (Sr.-Cooper City, Fla.), and another tally in the second after a single to right by 2B Alex Furr (Sr.-Hurricane, W.Va.).

The Lions knotted the score at 2-all in the top of the third frame after a ribbie double to left-field by SS Briana Molino. GCU then created the stalemate when DP Kelli Hardiman, who earlier reached base on a walk, came in to score on a miscue by the WVWU.

The score would remain even until the bottom half of the seventh inning when Griffin struck again with a sinking line drive to left field, which plated Furr, who led off the frame with a single to right, advanced to second on a sacrfice bunt, and moved to third on a GCU wild pitch.

Jacqui Omichinski (Sr.-Abbotsford, B.C.) earned the win in the circle or WVWU, yielding two runs  (1 ER) on three hits and four walks while striking out two in seven complete innings. Deanna Daluise (2-4) was the tough-luck loser for Georgian Court, permitting three runs (2 ER) on seven hits and five walks in 6.2 IP. The senior ace also struk out a pair.

GAME TWO

The Lions brought around a pair of runs in both the second and sixth innings and one in the third as Tina Morgan (2-1) and her GCU teammates coasted to the 5-0 triumph.

Morgan went the distance (7.0 IP), scattering four hits and a lone bases-on-balls while striking six in the shutout. Kimberly Nowak (0-1) suffered the loss in her initial start of the season, allowing five runs (1 ER) on 10 hits and a walk. She also struck out five GCU batters.

3B Taylor McDonough continued her torrid hitting for the Lions, going 4-for-4 with a run and ribbie. CF Dara Schroeder leaves the Sunshine State with an even batting average of .500 (19-for-38) after putting up a 2-for-3 effort. Adriana Cortez came off the bench in a pinch-hitting role, ripping a two-run single up the middle in the home sixth.

GCU returns north to host Queens College in the Lions' home opener Wednesday afternoon in a 2:30 p.m. twin-bill.Georgian Court blanked the Knights, 9-0 in five innings, on Tuesday here in the NTC Spring Games.