Visit Panama City Beach JUCO Softball Showcase wrap-up with a top 10 win

The Lady Commodores had a busy weekend at Publix Sports Park, finishing with strong wins and a few tough battles against quality opponents.

Against Daytona State College, the Lady Commodores earned a 7-4 win on Friday. Land led the way with four runs batted in, including a grand slam to center field in the fifth inning that helped break the game open. Daytona State scored first in the second inning on a two-run home run by James. GC answered in the fourth inning, taking the lead after a Daytona error and an RBI single from Aasia Scerbo.

Sarah Ham picked up the win in the circle. She pitched six and one-third innings, allowing seven hits and four runs while not walking a batter. Cole came in to earn the save. Ella Grace Kelley led the team at the plate, going 2-for-3, and also handled seven chances in the field. They played clean defense and did not commit an error.

Later that day, they fell just short in a 4-5 loss to Wabash Valley College. The Lady Commodores out hit Wabash Valley eight to six but could not hold on late. Scerbo tied the game in the second inning with a home run to right field. Lilly Land added an RBI single in the third to tie it again. They regained the lead in the fifth when Land drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Jaidyn Ivey followed with an RBI double.

Wabash Valley answered in the bottom half of the inning and later took advantage of an error in the sixth to secure the win. Kallan Mercer started in the circle and allowed four runs, two of them earned, over four innings. Henderson and Scerbo each had two hits, and Land drove in two runs from the middle of the lineup.

On Saturday, the Lady Commodores bounced back with a 7-5 win over Snead State. Snead State scored first in the opening inning, but GC answered in the second on an RBI single from Coco Rudolph. Kelley tied the game again in the fourth with a home run to center field.

Snead State took a 3-2 lead in the fifth, but the Lady Commodores responded with a big inning. Kelley singled in a run, Laiche doubled in two more, and another run scored on a fielder's choice to give GC the lead for good. Madison Laiche earned the complete game win, allowing five runs while striking out five. The Lady Commodores finished with 12 hits, with Ivey, Land, Scerbo, and Kelley each collecting two. The team also stayed aggressive on the bases with four stolen bases.

GC closed the weekend with a 10-7 win over Preseason ranked #12 Chattanooga State. Scerbo had a perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI single. The Commodores scored four runs in the third inning to take early control of the game. Scerbo started the rally with an RBI single, Land added a sacrifice fly, Lingo brought in a run with a bunt, and Ivey capped the inning with a two-run double.

Chattanooga State fought back and took a 7-6 lead in the sixth inning after a solo home run. The Commodores answered in the seventh. Kelley drove in a run with a single, an error allowed another to score, and Ham added two more RBIs on a groundout to put the Lady Commodores back in front.

Natalie Cole started in the circle and Ham came in to help close out the win. Ivey and Scerbo each drove in two runs, and the Commodores showed patience at the plate with five walks. Gulf Coast also stole four bases, continuing to stay aggressive throughout the weekend.